The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has cited five individuals after accusing them of falsifying documentation on nearly 60,000 pounds of crab in order to disguise illegal crabbing practices.
According to LDWF, state agents learned that two individuals – 61-year-old Edward Naquin and 60-year-old Francis Theriot – were falsifying trip tickets, lying about who was actually harvesting the crabs in order to skirt fishing regulations. A lengthy subsequent investigation revealed that those working at the dock in the unincorporated community of Grand Chenier conspired with commercial fishers to falsify trip ticket information.
“Trip ticket requirements state that when a commercial fisherman sells their catch to a wholesale/seafood dealer, he or she must provide accurate information and the dealer must verify their identity,” LDFW explained in a statement. “The commercial fisherman and dealer then sign the trip ticket with one copy going to the commercial fisherman, another copy going to the dealer, and another copy going to LDWF.”
Ultimately, the investigation found the conspirators had falsified a total of 125 trip tickets covering 59,834 pounds of illegally documented crabs.
On 16 April, LDWF agency charged Naquin, Theriot, 50-year-old Angela LaBove, 43-year-old Wendy Hill, and 53-year-old Selema Frank with a litany of charges for the falsified trip ticket scheme. Filing false public records can result in up to a USD 5,000 fine (EUR 4,397) and five years in jail for each offense.
