Peter C. Covino, IV, Obstruction of Justice, Florida 2013

Florida Man Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice in Marine Life Case

In a shocking turn of events, Peter C. Covino, IV, 20, of Eagle, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday in Key West for knowingly and corruptly attempting to persuade another to alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with the intent to impair the object’s integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1512(b)(2)(B) and 2.

According to testimony presented during the trial and documents in the case file, in February 2013 Covino made two phone calls to a business in the Florida Keys involved in the wholesale marine life trade in an effort to persuade one of the business owners “to erase all the text messages, and emails, or any other evidence” linking the Florida business to Peter Covino’s uncle, Ammon Covino, then a Director of the Idaho Aquarium, Inc., in Boise, Idaho.

The business owner, however, was cooperating with federal authorities and had his phone conversations recorded, which led to Covino's arrest and subsequent trial. During his trial testimony, Peter Covino admitted that he made the calls at the direction of his uncle, Ammon Covino.

U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez presided over the trial and imposed a sentence of imprisonment of time served - two months, six months of home confinement under electronic monitoring, and two years of supervised release. The court determined that Covino was unable to pay a fine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Watts-FitzGerald. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the Idaho Department of Fish & Game.

This sentencing marks the latest development in a larger case involving the Idaho Aquarium, Inc. and its Director, Ammon Covino. In a separate criminal proceeding, United States v. Ammon Covino, et al., Case No. 12-10020-CR-Martinez, Ammon Covino had been arrested on February 21, 2013, and charged with engaging in a conspiracy and other violations of the federal Lacey Act by purchasing and transporting wildlife from the Florida Keys to Idaho for exhibit at the Idaho Aquarium in Boise, Idaho.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/idaho-man-sentenced-obstruction-justice-key-west-marine-life-case