Ammon Covino Sentenced to Additional Prison Term for Illegal Marine Life Trade

Crime journalist’s gritty report:

Judge Jose E. Martinez sentenced former Idaho Aquarium operator Ammon Covino to eight months in prison for violating conditions of his release, and ordered an additional one-year term of supervised release.

Covino, 43, was originally convicted in 2013 for conspiring to harvest, transport, and sell spotted eagle rays and lemon sharks. He violated court-imposed employment restrictions by secretly consulting on two new aquarium facilities in Utah and Nevada while under supervision.

Prosecutor Wifredo A. Ferrer praised the joint efforts of NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement and the Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, who conducted a long-term investigation into Covino’s illegal activities from the Florida Keys.

Covino had previously been sentenced to one year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release. He was barred from working with marine life during that time but violated these restrictions after his release.

In 2016, Covino faced additional penalties for violating employment restrictions by secretly participating in the development of two Texas aquarium facilities using false names and claims of employment.

For more information on this case, visit FLSD US Courts or PACER FLSD.