Man Convicted for Violations of Lacey Act

LUFKIN – U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced that a Florida man has been convicted by a jury in Lufkin for his part in a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act. The two-day trial was held in Lufkin before U.S. District Judge Ron Clark in the Eastern District of Texas. Loren Willis, 62, of West Palm Beach, Florida was found guilty by a jury on two charges of conspiracy to transport fish in interstate commerce in violation of state law or regulation, and transporting or selling a fish in interstate commerce in violation of state law or regulation. Willis was found not guilty of one additional charge of conspiracy to make or submit a false label for a fish that would be transported in interstate commerce.

The Lacey Act provides it is unlawful for any person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States or in violation of any Indian tribal law whether in interstate or foreign commerce. Violations of the act can result criminal sanctions of $250,000 in fines and/or up to five years imprisonment.

According to information presented in court, in September 2010, Willis and one of his co-defendants traveled from Florida to Texas with the intention to harvest alligator gar from the Trinity River for the purpose of selling the fish in Japan. Willis did not obtain a non-resident Texas fishing license before harvesting the fish. An additional co-defendant has pleaded guilty to charges he altered the documentation submitted to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to reflect that the fish were captive bred, rather than harvested in the wild. Captive bred fish are not required to be inspected prior to export. The fish which were harvested from the Trinity River were transported by Willis and his co-defendant to Florida, where they were later exported to Japan. Both of Willis’ co-defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial.