Anchorage, AK – In a shocking case of poaching, three men have been sentenced for conspiring to provide illegal big game hunts in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Casey Richardson, 48, of Huson, Montana, Jeffrey Harris, 45, of Bainbridge Island, Washington, and Dale Lackner, 74, of Haines, Alaska, were sentenced to five years of probation for violations of the Lacey Act and other federal laws.
According to court documents, the investigation began in December 2015 after an anonymous letter was received by the State of Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Wildlife Investigations Unit. The letter indicated illegal hunting activities were occurring at Ptarmigan Lake Lodge, located within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
Richardson and Harris were not registered guides, while Lackner was a registered guide beginning in 2015. During the 2014 and 2015 hunting seasons, out-of-state hunters illegally hunted and killed Dall Sheep at Ptarmigan Lake Lodge without being accompanied by a registered guide.
Harris guided an out-of-state hunter at Ptarmigan Lake Lodge in 2014, with the hunter harvesting a Dall Sheep. Harris falsified the hunt record, indicating the hunt was conducted by a registered guide. In 2015, Richardson guided three out-of-state hunters on three separate hunts at Ptarmigan Lake Lodge, and all three hunters harvested Dall Sheep. Harris falsified two of the hunt records, indicating the hunts were conducted by registered guides.
Lackner falsified the State of Alaska Sheep Harvest Report, indicating he harvested a Dall Sheep and later transported it to Montana. In addition, multiple illegal bait site locations were determined to be maintained by Ptarmigan Lake Lodge and not registered with the State of Alaska.
Richardson was ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution, Harris was ordered to pay $26,000 in restitution, and Lackner was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the Department of Interior Restoration Fund on behalf of the National Park Service, and to the State of Alaska. The defendants are prohibited from any hunting or assisting in any hunting for the five years of probation and must perform over 100 hours of community service.
Richardson and Harris were each sentenced to serve three months in a halfway house followed by three months of home confinement, while Lackner was sentenced to six months of home confinement. During the periods of home confinement, the defendants will be on electronic monitoring.
Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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