WASHINGTON — Timothy Lydon, part owner and officer of Ocean Pro Ltd. dba Profish, a major D.C. seafood wholesaler, and his employee, fish buyer Benjamin Clough, were sentenced in a Maryland court for their roles in a decade-long scheme to buy and sell illegally harvested striped bass from the Potomac River.
A judge ordered Lydon to serve 21 months in prison and pay a $60,000 fine. Clough received a 15-month prison sentence and a $7,500 fine. Their company, Profish, was fined $575,000 and ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution. Both Lydon and Clough were held jointly liable for the restitution.
The scheme involved buying striped bass, also known as rockfish, from fishermen who had illegally harvested them from the Potomac River between 1995 and 2007. Lydon and Clough were found guilty of conspiracy and violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits buying and selling wildlife and fish that were harvested illegally.
Clough was also convicted of making a false statement to law enforcement during the investigation. Seven fishermen, including Gordon Jett, were involved in the scheme. Jett, of Fredericksburg, Va., was sentenced to five months in prison, five months of home detention, and ordered to pay $4,572 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said the case sends a message that the government is serious about protecting the striped bass population in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno added that the case highlights the importance of enforcing laws that protect the environment and the livelihoods of those who abide by the law.
The case was a result of a multi-state investigation led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Northeast Region. The investigation exposed a pattern of abuse that undermines state fishing laws in the name of profit. The fines and restitution will go to the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, and will be paid to the Commonwealth of Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The case is a warning to those who engage in illegal fishing practices that the government will take action to protect the environment and the law-abiding fishing industry.
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Key Facts
- State: District of Columbia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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