Pair of Ohio Fisherman charged with felonies after being caught cheating in competition

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/angled-28000-payout-viral-video-2-fishermen-are-charged-cheating-rcna52008

Two fishermen captured in a viral video appearing to scam an Ohio fishing tournament are on the hook for multiple crimes, including cheating, authorities said in announcing their indictments Wednesday.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley described the allegedly fishy conduct of Jacob Runyan, 42, and Chase Cominsky, 35, at last month’s Lake Erie Walleye Trail Tournament as “not only dishonorable but also criminal.”

Runyan and Cominsky were indicted on charges of attempted grand theft, cheating, possession of criminal tools and unlawful ownership of wild animals, O’Malley said in a news release.

The criminal tools charge stemmed from allegations the pair used Cominsky’s boat during the competition, the release said. Authorities seized the vessel and its trailer Tuesday.

The men sought a $28,760 payout at the Sept. 30-to-Oct. 1 tournament in Cleveland.

[dead0man]

sounds like the cops just want a new boat


Seriously, is there any precedent for this kind of thing?  I don't recall any cops going after Bonds or MacGuire.  The Feds went after Lance Armstrong, but did anything stick?  What about every Italian soccer player?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

sounds like the cops just want a new boat


Seriously, is there any precedent for this kind of thing?  I don't recall any cops going after Bonds or MacGuire.  The Feds went after Lance Armstrong, but did anything stick?  What about every Italian soccer player?

If they attempted to obtain $28,760 in prize money through cheating and illicit means, yeah that's pretty serious, that would be felony theft for anything else.

This "possession of criminal tools" law in Ohio is bullsh!t though. I've heard about it before, it was apparently written with things like lockpicking equipment for burglaries in mind, but is so broad it applies to pretty much any object anyone can use for any crime ever, and thus things like possessing a cell phone used for a drug deal or car keys for a DUI. Or in this case a boat because they used it to cheat.

"Unlawful ownership of wild animals" seems like a pretty strange charge too if all the fish they had were legal to fish for and legitimately caught (which it sounds like they are, the allegations are that they stuck weights inside the fish, not that they didn't legitimately catch them.)

[dead0man]

sounds like the cops just want a new boat


Seriously, is there any precedent for this kind of thing?  I don't recall any cops going after Bonds or MacGuire.  The Feds went after Lance Armstrong, but did anything stick?  What about every Italian soccer player?

If they attempted to obtain $28,760 in prize money through cheating and illicit means, yeah that's pretty serious, that would be felony theft for anything else.

sure, but isn't most cheating in sport done to win more money, usually via future contracts and promotional deals and not necessarily prize money, but it's certainly happened before.  Cheating in horse racing or combat sports would involve prize money, has any of them been charged with attempted grand theft?  I just looked up the Black Sox scandal, they were charged with conspiracy to defraud and found not guilty.  They were, of course, banned by baseball and I suspect that's all these cheating fishermen would get if Ohio didn't have "the cops get your sh**t you dirty criminal" law on the books.

[NewYorkExpress]

sounds like the cops just want a new boat


Seriously, is there any precedent for this kind of thing?  I don't recall any cops going after Bonds or MacGuire.  The Feds went after Lance Armstrong, but did anything stick?  What about every Italian soccer player?

If they attempted to obtain $28,760 in prize money through cheating and illicit means, yeah that's pretty serious, that would be felony theft for anything else.

sure, but isn't most cheating in sport done to win more money, usually via future contracts and promotional deals and not necessarily prize money, but it's certainly happened before.  Cheating in horse racing or combat sports would involve prize money, has any of them been charged with attempted grand theft?  I just looked up the Black Sox scandal, they were charged with conspiracy to defraud and found not guilty.  They were, of course, banned by baseball and I suspect that's all these cheating fishermen would get if Ohio didn't have "the cops get your sh**t you dirty criminal" law on the books.

The reason the Black Sox were acquitted was because the evidence disappeared before the trial,otherwise everyone involved likely would have been convicted.

[dead0man]

sounds like the cops just want a new boat


Seriously, is there any precedent for this kind of thing?  I don't recall any cops going after Bonds or MacGuire.  The Feds went after Lance Armstrong, but did anything stick?  What about every Italian soccer player?

If they attempted to obtain $28,760 in prize money through cheating and illicit means, yeah that's pretty serious, that would be felony theft for anything else.

sure, but isn't most cheating in sport done to win more money, usually via future contracts and promotional deals and not necessarily prize money, but it's certainly happened before.  Cheating in horse racing or combat sports would involve prize money, has any of them been charged with attempted grand theft?  I just looked up the Black Sox scandal, they were charged with conspiracy to defraud and found not guilty.  They were, of course, banned by baseball and I suspect that's all these cheating fishermen would get if Ohio didn't have "the cops get your sh**t you dirty criminal" law on the books.

The reason the Black Sox were acquitted was because the evidence disappeared before the trial,otherwise everyone involved likely would have been convicted.

maybe, and maybe not.  I'm still trying to find a previous situation where someone was convicted of a felony for cheating at sport and I can't find one....until now.

fishing related too!

The two anglers plead guilty to the charges and have been sentenced. Each individual pled guilty to a 3rd degree felony charge of bribery/influencing a public contest, a class A Misdemeanor charge of releasing live aquatic wildlife and a class B Misdemeanor charge of unlawful captivity of live aquatic wildlife.

Their sentence includes the following:

    $2,500 each in restitution to the Help Stop Poaching Fund.
    $500 each for a plea in abeyance fee
    48 hours community service
    2 years court ordered no hunting
    DWR is administratively seeking 5 years no fishing

One of the undercover resource officers who worked on the case had this to say:

“This has been a really cool case. From the forensic science to the bass fishing community helping us figure out what body of water they brought the fish from. Beyond the fines, I hope that word travels through the fishing community that it is a serious crime to transport and release aquatic wildlife.

“Please share the results of this with all of your friends in the bass tournament world and please thank everyone you know that assisted from the Ultimate Bass Team Trail and the Lake Powell event tournament staff. While it’s rewarding we were able to stop these anglers through science, we know the other tournament organizers are still furious at how long these two likely had been robbing their trails.”

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

sounds like the cops just want a new boat


Seriously, is there any precedent for this kind of thing?  I don't recall any cops going after Bonds or MacGuire.  The Feds went after Lance Armstrong, but did anything stick?  What about every Italian soccer player?

If they attempted to obtain $28,760 in prize money through cheating and illicit means, yeah that's pretty serious, that would be felony theft for anything else.

sure, but isn't most cheating in sport done to win more money, usually via future contracts and promotional deals and not necessarily prize money, but it's certainly happened before.  Cheating in horse racing or combat sports would involve prize money, has any of them been charged with attempted grand theft?  I just looked up the Black Sox scandal, they were charged with conspiracy to defraud and found not guilty.  They were, of course, banned by baseball and I suspect that's all these cheating fishermen would get if Ohio didn't have "the cops get your sh**t you dirty criminal" law on the books.

The reason the Black Sox were acquitted was because the evidence disappeared before the trial,otherwise everyone involved likely would have been convicted.

maybe, and maybe not.  I'm still trying to find a previous situation where someone was convicted of a felony for cheating at sport and I can't find one....until now.

Regardless the Black Sox were charged just like these guys have been, and they haven't been convicted yet. So they were by authorities held to the same standard.

I agree that the police probably wouldn't be so aggressive here if it wasn't for the asset forfeiture though.

[NewYorkExpress]

Both fishermen agreed to plead guilty.

The two anglers at the center of a cheating scandal that rocked the world of competitive fishing last fall pleaded guilty to charges in the case on Monday.

Jacob Runyan, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, of Heritage, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals as part of a plea deal. Both men agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses, and Cominsky agreed to give up his bass boat worth $100,000.


Prosecutors agreed to drop attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools charges. Runyan and Cominsky will be sentenced on May 11. Prosecutors are set to recommend a sentence of six months’ probation and later ask for an expungement of their convictions if they complete their probation, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor James Gallagher said.

[NewYorkExpress]

Sentence was handed down today.

Two men who pleaded guilty of cheating in a Lake Erie fishing tournament were sentenced Thursday to 10 days in jail and 1 1/2 years of probation.

...
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Gall ordered both men to pay a $2,500 fine, which could be reduced if they make a donation to a charitable organization focused on fishing and children.

...

In addition, the men had their fishing licenses suspended for a maximum of three years and had to forfeit the boat they used in the tournament, which was valued at $130,000.

[dead0man]

so are the cops fishing in a fancy boat or buying a 100 grand worth of pizza parties (or maybe a used APC)?