Alaska Crab Kingpin Corey Potter Charged with Crab Poaching

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Corey Potter, the owner of two crab-catching vessels, has been charged with illegally transporting crab from Alaska in violation of the Lacey Act.

According to court documents, Potter allegedly directed his captains, Justin Welch and Kyle Potter, to take over 7,000 pounds of Tanner and golden king crab to Seattle, Washington, where they intended to sell it at a higher price than they would have in Alaska. Neither captain landed the harvested crab at a port in Alaska, and the harvest was never recorded on a fish ticket, a requirement under state law.

The crab was allegedly taken through Canadian and Washington waters. Upon arrival in Washington, a large portion of the king crab was deceased and unmarketable. Potter allegedly acknowledged that some of the crab aboard was infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a parasitic disease that is fatal to crustaceans. Over 4,000 additional pounds of Tanner crab were destroyed due to the risk of BCS infection.

Court documents allege that had the crab been properly landed in Alaska, the harvest would have been inspected and infected crab would have been sorted out and disposed of before leaving Alaska.

Corey Potter is charged with two counts of unlawful transportation of fish or wildlife in violation of 16 U.S.C. 3372(a)(2)(A) and 3373(d)(1)(B). Justin Welch and Kyle Potter are both charged with one count of the same violation.

Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $20,000 fine per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and Assistant Director Benjamin Cheeseman with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The defendants will make their initial court appearance on May 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.