Five commercial fishermen have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Juneau, Alaska, with conspiring to illegally harvest halibut in Southeast Alaska between 2019 and 2033 in violation of the Lacey Act.
The indictments announced on Monday, Aug. 4, were handed down on July 17 and executed at the end of July, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska. The men are scheduled to make their initial court appearances over the next two weeks before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble in U.S. District Court in Juneau.
The U.S. Attorney's office said that defendants Jonathan Pavlik, 43, of Yakutat, Vincent Jacobson, 51, of Yakutat, Kyle Dierick, 36, of Yakutat, Michael Babic, 42, of Cordova, and Timothy Ross, 58, of Washington, all conspired on multiple occasions in the harvests.
Court documents allege that Pavlik separately conspired with the other four men to illegally harvest and land halibut through various means, including each defendant landing the fish without being aboard the vessel at all times during the fishing trips, a violation of federal law and regulations. The indictment alleges that all five men intentionally falsely reported that the halibut caught was creditable to their respective individual fishing quota (IFQ) permit balances. The men are responsible for over 10,700 pounds of illegally harvested halibut, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The indictment further alleges that between Aug. 31, 2023, and Oct. 11, 2023, Pavlik sold and intentionally made false statements regarding over 9,600 pounds of halibut caught on the F/V Bad Intentions, then illegally transferred to the F/V New Era before landing for sale.
Pavlik is charged with four counts of Lacey Act conspiracy, five counts of Lacey Act—unlawful sale, and five counts of Lacey Act—false labeling. Jacobson, Dierick, Babic and Ross are each charged with one count of Lacey Act conspiracy. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison for each count and up to a $250,000 fine.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
