GREENBELT, Md., June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/—Golden Eye Seafood LLC and owner, Robert Lumpkins of St. Mary's County, Md., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to and violating the Lacey Act, by falsely recording the amount and weight of striped bass, also known as rockfish, that were harvested by local fisherman and checked-in through Golden Eye from 2003 to 2007, announced United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein and John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
According to his plea agreement, from at least 2003 to the present, Lumpkins was a fish wholesaler, doing business from his residence in Piney Point, Maryland, under the name Golden Eye Seafood. Lumpkins, through, Golden Eye, acted as a commercial striped bass check-in station for the state of Maryland. Lumpkins admitted that from on numerous occasions from 2003 to 2007, he falsely recorded the amount of striped bass that fisherman harvested and failed to record some of the striped bass that was caught or recorded a lower weight of striped bass than was actually caught. Lumpkins and the fisherman would also falsely inflate the actual number of fish harvested. By under-reporting the weight of fish harvested, and over-reporting the number of fish taken, the records would make it appear that the fishermen had failed to reach the maximum poundage quota for the year, but had nonetheless run out of tags. As a result, the state would issue additional tags that could be used by the fishermen allowing them to catch striped bass above their maximum poundage quota amount. Lumpkins and Golden Eye shipped the majority of the fish to purchasers in Maryland and in other states.
Golden Eye Seafood faces a maximum fine of $500,000 on each of the three counts to which it pleaded guilty and Robert Lumpkins faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the four counts to which he pleaded guilty. U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has scheduled the sentencing hearing for September 22 and 23, 2009.
Additionally, John Evans, a commercial fisherman who operated in St. Mary's County and the surrounding waters of the Chesapeake Bay, was charged with a violation of the Lacey Act for overfishing striped bass. Two other fishermen, Joseph Peter Nelson Jr. of Great Mills, Md., and his father Joseph Peter Nelson of Avenue, Md., have been indicted in the District of Maryland and are awaiting trial.
Sentencing dates for the remaining defendants who have pleaded guilty to similar charges are listed below.
-- Kenneth Dent, July 2, 2009, 9:30 AM
-- Jerry Decatur Sr., July 1, 2009, 9:30 AM
-- Jerry Decatur Jr., August 12, 2009, 9:30 AM
Cannon Seafood, a Washington, D.C., fish wholesaler, its owner, Robert Moore Sr. and his son Robert Moore Jr. pleaded guilty to similar charges. Cannon Seafood was ordered to pay restitution of $28,000 and a fine of $80,000. Robert Moore, Sr. and Robert Moore, Jr. were each sentenced to 36 months probation, ordered to pay restitution of $15,000 and $10,000, and a fine of $40,000 and $30,000, respectively.
Thomas L. Hallock, a commercial fisherman licensed in Maryland, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, for illegally overfishing rockfish and was ordered to pay restitution of $40,000 and a fine of $4,000. Commercial fisherman Thomas Crowder was sentenced to 15 months in prison, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and restitution of $96,250 and Charles Quade was sentenced to five months in prison, followed by five months of home detention. Quade was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and restitution of $5,000. Keith Collins was sentenced to 13 months in prison and was ordered to pay $70,569 in restitution and a fine of $4,500. All of the restitution is to be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to the benefit of the Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Restoration Account.
As a result of the investigation and prosecution, two fish wholesalers and a total of 15 individuals have been charged for illegally harvesting and under-reporting their catch of striped bass, including today's defendants. Eleven individuals and two wholesale companies have pleaded guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacy Dawson Belf and Christen Sproule for the District of Maryland and Senior Trial Attorney Wayne Hettenbach of the Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice