Two managers of Montauk, New York, U.S.A.-based seafood wholesaler Bob Gosman Co. pleaded not guilty to fraud and obstruction of justice charges relating to illegally overharvesting black sea bass and fluke.
Bob Gosman Co. managers Bryan Gosman and Asa Gosman were released on USD 100,000 (EUR 82,000) signature bonds and had their travel restricted to the continental U.S. after pleading not guilty at their arraignment hearing, according to the Mount Pleasant Daily Voice.
On 21 April, a federal grand jury issued indictments to Bob Gosman Co., Bryan Gosman, Asa Gosman, fishing captain Christopher Winkler, and an unnamed co-conspirator: a now-defunct company operating out of the New Fulton Fish Market. They face charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and obstruction in connection with a scheme to illegally overharvest fluke and black sea bass that had a value of at least USD 250,000 (EUR 205,000) wholesale, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.
Between May 2014 and July 2016, Winkler, captain of the F/V New Age, went on approximately 70 fishing trips where he caught fluke or black sea bass in excess of applicable quotas. The fish was then sold to the now-defunct company, in which Asa Gosman and Bryan Gosman had an ownership interest.
After the Bronx, New York-based company folded, Winkler sold a smaller quantity of his illegal catch directly to Bob Gosman Co. The overages of fish included at least 74,000 pounds of fluke, and the overall over-quota fish (of all species) were valued at least USD 250,000 wholesale, according to the Justice Department.
The indictment is part of a multi-year, ongoing investigation into fisheries fraud on New York’s fishing hub of Long Island.
Winkler, Bryan Gosman, Asa Gosman, and Bob Gosman Co. Inc. were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as to unlawfully frustrate the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) efforts at regulating federal fisheries.
“Winkler and the corporate defendant each face substantive fraud charges,” the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) said.
In addition, Asa Gosman, Bryan Gosman, and Bob Gosman Co. are charged with obstructing the investigation “by corruptly withholding certain documents and records sought by a federal grand jury,” the DOJ said.
Photo courtesy of rj lerich/Shutterstock
