Department of Justice
United State Attorney
- Southern District of Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 09, 2006

SHRIMP BOAT CAPTAIN SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON

(CORPUS CHRISTI, TX) The captain of a commercial shrimping vessel, Raul De La Garza, 62, a Mexican national, was sentenced to a prison term for his attempt to conceal fishing violations from federal agents. United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg reported that Chief United States District Judge Hayden Head sentenced De La Garza to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000. The defendant was also prohibited from working as a captain of - or in any other capacity on - a commercial shrimping or fishing vessel during the term of his supervised release.

On August 19, 2005, the crew of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead, working with Special Agents of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), encountered the fishing vessel “La Panchita” near the Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary, approximately 90 nautical miles south of New Orleans. Federal agents boarded the La Panchita as it was engaged in commercial shrimping. The Captain of the vessel, Raul De LA Garza, destroyed evidence of a crime by intentionally releasing the two port side nets with their associated equipment and allowing them to fall to the ocean floor. The nets were determined to have their federally required “turtle excluder devices” (TEDs) sewn closed in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The captain was prevented from releasing the starboard side nets, which were also discovered to have disabled TEDs, devices that provide an “escape hatch” allowing sea turtles, protected by the Endangered Species Act, to escape from shrimp nets. Following the discovery of these and other violations, the La Panchita’s voyage was terminated and the fish and shrimp in the hold were seized by federal authorities.

Raul De La Garza pleaded guilty on October 26, 2005, to one count of covering up a material fact by trick, scheme, or device, specifically referring to the release and attempted release of shrimp nets containing disabled TEDs.

This case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. Thorpe, Jr.

AUSA – Southern District of Texas: www.usdoj.gov/usao/txs