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Fishing; Law-Enforcement
Paducah, Ky. (Dec. 21, 2023) – A Livingston County, Kentucky man was sentenced to five years of probation for a Lacey Act violation involving the illegal harvesting and sale of shovelnose sturgeon roe.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Stephen Clark of the Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and Colonel Jeremy McQueary, Director of Law Enforcement for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources made the announcement.
Among other things, the Lacey Act makes it unlawful for any person to transport and sell fish that were taken in violation of any law or regulation of any state. Kentucky regulates fishing for sturgeon and its eggs, which are marketed as caviar. A violation of the Lacey Act constitutes a felony if the fish had a market value in excess of $350.
According to court documents, Charles Hopkins, 52, was sentenced to five years of probation for conspiring with others to sell shovelnose sturgeon that had been harvested in violation of Kentucky law. Hopkins was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Account and $348,613 in restitution to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
“I commend the work and collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for their outstanding effort in investigating this case," stated U.S. Attorney Bennett. “Those who seek to ignore laws designed to protect our natural resources should take note that our federal and state law enforcement partners will thoroughly investigate, and this office will aggressively prosecute, violations of federal law."
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Madison Sewell, of the U.S. Attorney's Bowling Green Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
This news release was written by Dawn Masden of the United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Kentucky. For more information, visit Justice.gov.
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