Southeast Alaska Sea Otter Poacher Sentenced Following Two-year USFWS-led Undercover Operation

The United State’s Attorney’s office for the District of Alaska announced on March 10 that a Southeast Alaska resident had been sentenced to 37 months in prison and $5,000 in fines for illegally killing sea otters, seals, and sea lions and selling their pelts.

The investigation that led to the defendant’s arrest and eventual sentencing began with a tip from a concerned citizen, and evolved into a two-year undercover operation lead by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska Region Office of Law Enforcement. Over the course of the investigation, Service Special Agents documented the illegal killing of approximately 75 sea otters, animals protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the illegal sale of a half dozen sea otter pelts and several skulls.

Supporting the Service in the two-year operation were Alaska Wildlife Troopers, NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement, U. S. Forest Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service, the State of Alaska Attorney General’s Office, the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement, and the U. S. Attorney’s Office.

Stanley Pruszenski, the USFWS Region 7 Chief of Law Enforcement, said, “This individual was a significant illegal player in southeast Alaska.  I hope that the size of his sentence will serve as a deterrent to any others who might consider engaging in the illegal killing of protected wildlife species for financial gain.” To read the full press release from the United States Attorney’s office, click here (pdf).