For many people, fishing is just something you do at your grandpa’s pond or on a camping trip, but fishing at the professional level is a whole different beast. Your friends may give you a hard time exaggerating the size of the fish you catch, but in 2022, two Ohio men discovered that they were pretty serious about it in a real fishing tournament. As reported by WKYCNot only were they arrested for fraud and sent to jail, but their boat was also confiscated. And now it is being auctioned on GovDeals.
The boat in question is a 2022 Ranger Pro FS 622 powered by a 400 horsepower Mercury Verado with only 69 hours of running time (cool!). It is estimated to be worth around $130,000, although, as of press time, bidding appears to have stopped at $80,000. If you need a new practical boat at a great price, then perhaps this is the boat you’re looking for. Just make sure you don’t get caught cheating in a fishing competition so it doesn’t get confiscated again.
Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky, two men do were initially declared the tournament winners, but a judge thought the fish they brought back was suspiciously heavy for its size. When they cut the fish open, they found ten weights and several fish fillets inside. That was enough to charge them with one count each of fraud, attempted grand theft, and possession of an instrument of crime, all fifth-degree felonies. They were also charged with one count of illegal possession of wildlife, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
They eventually pleaded guilty and served 10 days in jail and a year and a half of probation. Their fishing licenses were also suspended for three years and they were fined $2,500, although the judge allowed them to reduce the fine to $1,250 if they made a charitable donation to a children’s fishing organization.
“I have no doubt that these two cheaters have cheated in multiple tournaments over the past several years,” District Attorney Michael C. O’Malley said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we can only hold them accountable for what they did on September 30, 2022. While these two individuals deserve lifetime fishing license suspensions, the law only allows for a maximum of three years. These two individuals should be banned from all fishing tournaments for life. They are thieves and now they have been convicted of felonies. This sends a message to the fishing community that cheaters will be held accountable in Cuyahoga County.”
