Related Federal Cases
Commercial Fishing Violations Land Thomas Zachary Breeding 15 Months in Prison
PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – In a shocking turn of events, Thomas Zachary Breeding, 29, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for obstruction of justice and making false statements to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”).
Breeding pleaded guilty to the charges in October, which related to his illegal commercial fishing in The Edges Closed Area of the Gulf of Mexico. The Edges is an area of the Gulf southwest of Panama City that is closed to commercial fishing annually from January 1 to April 30 to protect the spawning season for gag grouper and ensure the continued viability of the grouper fishery in the Gulf.
Breeding, the captain of the commercial fishing vessel The Wolf, was caught violating the fishing ban not once, but twice. On January 9, 2012, NOAA’s Vessel Monitoring System (“VMS”) detected The Wolf inside The Edges, and just one week later, on January 17, 2012, the VMS technician detected The Wolf again inside The Edges. A Coast Guard plane confirmed that it was inside The Edges and was commercial fishing.
Breeding falsely told the Coast Guard pilot that, according to his GPS system, he was outside of the restricted area. However, at his plea hearing, Breeding admitted that he had intentionally breached The Edges to fish commercially and that, to conceal his actions, he manually altered the GPS device to render it inaccurate by approximately three nautical miles.
But that was not the only time Breeding was caught breaking the rules. In 2005, he was cited by the Coast Guard for fishing inside the Madison-Swanson Closed Area, an area of the Gulf south of Panama City that is closed year-round to commercial fishing to protect the spawning of reef fish, including grouper. He and the boat’s owner were fined $25,000 for this incident, but Breeding never paid his portion of the fine. In 2007, he was also cited by NOAA for commercial fishing in a longline and buoy-gear restricted area of the Gulf and was fined $17,500, a fine that he also never paid.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Smoak handed down the sentence after hearing testimony from NOAA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gregg Houghaboom. Breeding’s case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gayle Littleton.
The sentence comes as a warning to other commercial fishers who may be tempted to break the rules. The Edges Closed Area is in place to protect the spawning season for gag grouper and ensure the continued viability of the grouper fishery in the Gulf.
Defendant: Thomas Zachary Breeding
Criminal Charges: Obstruction of justice and making false statements to the NOAA
City and State: Panama City, Florida
Date: The crimes occurred in January 2012, the sentencing took place in 2024 (exact date not specified)
Sentence: 15 months in prison
Fines: $25,000 and $17,500 (Breeding never paid his portion of the fines)
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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