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YEA BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its long but check it out

Wolfer

New member
Joined
Jan 15, 2001
Messages
86
Location
Wy
History making Bust!!!!!
Five years of investigating suspects from 13 states and one foreign country, results in what officials rank as the largest wildlife case in Wyoming history, with 42 jerks being convicted!

Sagebrush Outfitters of Gillette, assisted by several area landowners, knowingly guided and helped unlicensed and improperly licensed hunters illegally take at least 60 deer and 18 antelope in the late 1990s, the investigation by state and federal wildlife officers exposed. Donald D. Hockett, Sagebrush owner, and his partner, area rancher John William (Bill) Mankin pleaded guilty recently to felony conspiracy of the federal Lacey Act for their role in recruiting hunters to the operation, who then returned to other states with the illegally taken deer and antelope. The Lacey Act can be violated when wildlife taken in violation of state law is transported across state lines. Both men had their hunting and guiding privileges revoked for two years and were sentenced to 1-year in jail, by Federal District Judge William Downes of Casper. Hockett was fined $5,100 and Mankin, $30,100. Three area landowners, including Campbell County Commissioner Janet Evans of Weston, were convicted of one misdemeanor count of violating the Lacey Act for allowing the outfitters to conduct out-of-season hunting on their ranches. Evans and Ronald J. Shober of Gillette, were fined $2,525, assessed $2,500 in restitution and had their hunting privileges revoked for one year. Weston rancher Toby K. ****inson pleaded guilty to three Lacey Act counts. His sentencing is pending. Gillette taxidermist and guide Dustin W. Cargal was also convicted of one Lacey Act count. He paid a $2,525 fine and forfeited one year of hunting privileges. Six other Campbell County residents, including guides and cooks of Sagebrush Outfitters, were convicted of state charges of transferring their big game licenses to nonresident hunters. Another guide for the operation pleaded guilty for failing to report a hunter’s violation. Sagebrush Outfitters operated on approximately 20 ranches in Campbell and Crook counties. In October 1990, a G&F check station at Baggs stopped three California clients of Mankin’s who had taken deer on resident licenses. Officers continued to suspect the operation was poaching and received a tip that broke the case open in the fall of 1998. A Florida wildlife officer alerted a Wyoming game warden that some Floridians were planning to hunt the Gillette area, probably illegally, in November 1998. Locker plant and interstate game tag records reviewed over the years showed several Gillette area hunters had sent heads to Eddie J. Gomez, a Homestead, Fla. taxidermist. to be mounted. Gomez was convicted of felony conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act. He was fined $2,100 and ordered to pay $2,500 restitution and sentenced to four months home detention. His hunting privileges were also revoked for three years. Carlos Miranda a self-employed car dealer who accompanied Gomez in the 1998 trip, pleaded guilty to eight misdemeanor Lacey Act counts for killing eight deer from 1995-98. He was fined $40,200, ordered to pay $20,000 restitution and had his hunting privileges revoked for 18 months. Twenty-eight other defendants from Florida, Texas, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and El Salvador also pleaded guilty to federal or state charges of illegally taking deer in Wyoming. A total of 39 white-tailed and mule deer mounts were also forfeited by violators as part of the sentences in the case. Interviews revealed Sagebrush Outfitters charged clients $1,500 to $2,000 per hunt and more if additional animals were desired. All convictions were obtained through plea agreements with no cases going to trial. Over 5,000 hours of investigation by state and federal officers in several states were logged on the case. The investigation was also assisted by the Campbell County sheriff’s and attorney’s offices and the Wyoming Board of Guides and Outfitters. The convictions netted a total of $261,000 of fines and restitution!!



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If there isn't any dogs in heaven .....IAINT GOIN
 
That's great that they caught these scum!

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the fines seemed a little low. I know that they ended up levying $261,000 worth, but broken down per person it isn't very much. The outfitter was only fined $5,100!!! They said the hunts were $1,500 dollars each, so I'd say he still made a profit.

Oh well. Good news that they were caught.

Oak
 
South fla. has some real slob hunters/killers/shooters/poachers whatever ya want to call them.They busted a poaching ring here recently where these four guys from miami had 57 whitetails in a semi-trailer (freezer)all busted were illegal aliens, no green cards ?!?!? seems our latino community has taken up hunting? we also encountered a group from miami that was shooting hogs with fully automatic weapons from swamp buggies and leaving the animals lay!!! i found 41 shell casings at one intersection!!! this was land a friend of ours was leasing
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that pisses me off, oh and we only found the hogs i wounder how many deer they shot as well !?!?!?

its amazing that nothing showed up in the miami herald, they must have been busy recounting votes!
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It makes me sick to hear about all the worthless b@$^@&*s poaching and leaving animals to waste. But it sure is good to hear when they get busted. I too believe they should have been fined heavier.
tusker
 
If these guys can pay thousands of dollars year after year to hunt then I say make them pay such large fines that they won't be able to buy hunts for the time their hunting privleges are suspended, cause lets face it if they didn't care about game laws before they sure as hell ain't a gonna care now either! :mad:
 
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