Author Topic: Cheating Fisherman  (Read 987 times)

Ben

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Cheating Fisherman
« on: March 14, 2019, 10:57:04 PM »
Does this seem harsh to you guys? Nobody likes a cheater, but this guy was arrested for cheating in a fishing tournament. Bail was $25K. I'm pretty sure I've seen a ton of assault arrests that had half that bail amount.

The story is thin on info, so I'm wondering if maybe he won a prize big enough to make it a felony fraud, thus the high bail? I know some of these bass tournaments are big money affairs.

https://www.foxnews.com/great-outdoors/bass-fisherman-charged-with-fraud-for-allegedly-cheating-during-tournament

EDIT:  I did a search for "bass tournament cheater" to try and find more on this story. Wow - apparently there's a whole history of cheating in bass tournaments.

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sumpnz

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2019, 11:07:57 PM »
All fishing tournaments, at least with significant prizes, have had to institute a lot of procedures to prevent and detect cheating.  Pretty common to dissect stomaches of entered fish or x-ray them if kept alive for later release.  Prefishing is another common violation (either to keep and enter a fish caught before the start of the tournament, or to locate a spot for a contender fish).

Fly320s

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2019, 08:48:26 AM »
That tournament had $497,000 in cash and prizes.  First place winner won a $31k bass boat, a new Dodge truck, and $7,000 in cash.

So, yeah, I can imagine there are plenty of cheaters out there.  If this guy initially won a prize because of his cheating, then I think that counts as fraud.  Bail seems high, but the charge seems correct.

« Last Edit: March 15, 2019, 09:01:04 AM by Fly320s »
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Firethorn

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2019, 08:55:15 AM »
Does this seem harsh to you guys? Nobody likes a cheater, but this guy was arrested for cheating in a fishing tournament. Bail was $25K. I'm pretty sure I've seen a ton of assault arrests that had half that bail amount.

Remember, bail is supposed to ensure you show up for the trial, not be a punishment.  It is also supposed to take the means of the accused into account.

Some states are actually getting rid of it.  The financial situation of people has changed, if the bail system ever worked well it doesn't now.

MechAg94

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2019, 09:20:24 AM »
Remember, bail is supposed to ensure you show up for the trial, not be a punishment.  It is also supposed to take the means of the accused into account.

Some states are actually getting rid of it.  The financial situation of people has changed, if the bail system ever worked well it doesn't now.
The potential bail requirement is one of the reasons I signed up for the concealed carry insurance stuff.  Without bail, you could end up in jail for months/years even if innocent. 
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Andiron

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2019, 03:19:25 PM »
The potential bail requirement is one of the reasons I signed up for the concealed carry insurance stuff.  Without bail, you could end up in jail for months/years even if innocent. 

Who did you end up going with?  I've thought about CCW ins but never got past the  "sounds like a  good idea" phase.
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WLJ

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2019, 03:23:27 PM »
This sounds like a fish story








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Hawkmoon

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2019, 03:23:35 PM »
Who did you end up going with?  I've thought about CCW ins but never got past the  "sounds like a  good idea" phase.

I'm interested in this, too. My research keeps getting interrupted (by little things like a collapsed lung resulting in a brief vacation stay in the ICU at the VA hospital). Most of what I've encountered seem to not be any sort of insurance at all, just prepaid legal services plans.

If anyone has more/better information on actual insurance plans for civilian carry, I'd be happy to see it posted.  [popcorn]
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Brad Johnson

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2019, 03:44:56 PM »

The story is thin on info, so I'm wondering if maybe he won a prize big enough to make it a felony fraud, thus the high bail?



Texas Penal Code: Parks and Wildlife § 66.023 (Fraud in Fishing Tournaments)

(bolding mine, Brad)

Quote
(a) In this section, “fishing tournament” means a contest in which a prize is to be awarded to one or more participants in the contest based on the weight, length, number, or type of fish caught by the participants or based on any other criteria applicable to the fish caught.

(b) A person commits an offense if, with intent to affect the outcome of a fishing tournament:

(1) the person provides, offers to provide, sells, or offers to sell a fish to a participant in the tournament for the purpose of representing that the fish was caught by the participant in the course of the tournament;

(2) the person, as a participant in the tournament, accepts or agrees to accept a fish from another person for the purpose of representing that the fish was caught by the participant in the course of the tournament;

(3) the person, as a participant in the tournament, represents that a fish was caught by the person in the course of the tournament when in fact the fish was not caught by that person or the fish was not caught in the course of that tournament;

(4) the person alters the length or weight of a fish for the purpose of representing that the fish as entered in the tournament was that length or weight when caught;  or

(5) the person enters a fish in the tournament that was taken in violation of any provision of this code or a proclamation or regulation of the commission adopted under this code.

(c) A person commits an offense if the person sponsors or conducts a fishing tournament and knows of the occurrence in the tournament of activity prohibited by Subsection (b) of this section and does not immediately notify a law enforcement officer commissioned by the director of its occurrence.

(d) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, except that if the offense occurred during a tournament in which any prize or combination of prizes to be awarded for any one category for which an award is given, whether the prize or prizes are to an individual or a team, is worth $10,000 or more in money or goods, the offense is a felony of the third degree.


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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2019, 04:45:17 PM »
Tournament fishers can all ingest a satchel of Richards.
Even the ones that aren't cheating suck.
Bunch of self important, entitled prickless losers.
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Frank Castle

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2019, 05:17:40 PM »
This is why, i like the Major League Fishing Tournaments.

1# Judge is on the boat.
2# The fish is caught and goes right on the fish scale.
3# The fish are released.
4# Time penalties for dropping the fish.
 

No cheating or little cheating.
 

RocketMan

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Re: Cheating Fisherman
« Reply #11 on: March 16, 2019, 09:24:09 PM »
I'm interested in this, too.  [snip] Most of what I've encountered seem to not be any sort of insurance at all, just prepaid legal services plans.

If anyone has more/better information on actual insurance plans for civilian carry, I'd be happy to see it posted.  [popcorn]

I am interested, as well.  Any good info would be appreciated.

This thread is drifting, drifting, drifting...  It seems somehow appropriate given that it involves fishing.
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