CHARLEVOIX, Mich. (AP) - A fish wholesaler in northern Michigan has been sentenced to a year in custody after pleading guilty to acquiring trout that were illegally caught in the Great Lakes.
Federal Judge Paul Maloney says John Cross III of Charlevoix can serve his sentence in the offseason. He appeared in court Monday, months after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.
The government says Cross and his business, Cross Fisheries, bought about 50,000 pounds of lake trout from a fisherman who was using so-called trap nets. Those fish should have been thrown back into the water.
Cross says he's "truly sorry." His family has been involved in fish for generations.
Separately, Cross' business pleaded guilty to a felony. The judge ordered restitution of $1 million but hasn't decided how or when it will be paid.
Published: Wed, Apr 03, 2019
