Poachers receive $100,000 fine

[getasheep]

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/touch/news/edmonton/Edmonton+poachers+fined/7507906/story.html?rel=847766

EDMONTON - An Edmonton man and woman have been fined $100,000 and banned from any hunting related activities for 25 years after pleading guilty to poaching charges.
Kristopher Brophy, 35, and Michelle Haseloh, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Stony Plain courtroom to numerous charges under the Wildlife Act.

Brophy was fined $80,000 and Haseloh was fined $20,000. Brophy was also ordered to forfeit his Hummer vehicle because it had been used in the poaching crimes, said Brendan Cox, a spokesman for Alberta Justice.

Brophy and Haseloh were involved in the poaching and trafficking of elk, deer and moose.

They also pleaded guilty to hunting at night, firing at animals from a motor vehicle, hunting out of season and wasting edible meat, Cox said.

“These two aren’t your typical hunters, they are poachers,” Cox said.

Fish and wildlife officers in the major investigations and intelligence unit launched a lengthy and targeted investigation after numerous complaints about illegal hunting in 2010 and 2011.

The investigation covered a wide area of Alberta including Athabasca, Barrhead, Drayton Valley, Edmonton, Evansburg, Stony Plain, Spirit River, Valleyview, Vegreville and Wetaskiwin.

“That’s a lot. It means they’ve been doing this for a long time,” said Martin Sharren, executive vice-president for the Alberta Fish and Game Association.

He said the penalty was “a step in the right direction” but should be higher.

“The penalty has to make an impact. A message has to be sent,” he said. “Wildlife belongs to everybody.”

In other jurisdictions, the couple would be looking at jail time, he said. “This is not hunting. That’s poaching. It’s totally unethical.”

In Alberta, the maximum penalty for illegally selling wildlife is $100,000 in fines or two years in jail. Illegally possessing wildlife can net $50,000 in fines or one year in jail.

[Albertadiver]

:sHa_shakeshout:

[Big Daddy Badger]

Hi-5!!!!!

And...they saved us the cost of a trial so...its value added!!

[catnthehat]

WOW!! that is great, considering many of us were fearing they were going to get off wit someting like a $2,000 fine and a 1 year lisence suspension!!:thinking-006:
Cat

[Grizzly Adams]

Be interesting to hear the specifics of the case. Obviously, these two were a couple of busy beavers.

Grizz

[Flyfisher87]

:sHa_shakeshout:

x1000000

[Tundra Monkey]

“These two aren’t your typical hunters, they are poachers,” Cox said.

Two articles in a row now with PROPER wording :sHa_shakeshout:

25 years withouth hunting....can you imagine :budo:

$80k and lose a hummer.......ouch :happy0034:

[hal53]

So....good for the Judge, :sHa_shakeshout: my question is , what on earth does a 25 year ban on hunting do to a convicted poacher?....obviously these two morons hadn't bought a bunch of tags from the beginning???...

[PRO4X]

It's nice to see justice came about. I do think they should have been hit harder, but $100,000 and 25 year ban will have to do.

As for the specifics, you probably know hunters that were involved in getting them charged. I know numerous people who all made calls to report their activity. There were 4 times as many charges that could have been laid, but we're held back because of weak evidence and various other reasons.

Good job to all those involved in getting these two held accountable for their actions.

[catnthehat]

So....good for the Judge, :sHa_shakeshout: my question is , what on earth does a 25 year ban on hunting do to a convicted poacher?....obviously these two morons hadn't bought a bunch of tags from the beginning???...

It means even if he is stopped with a rifle in hunting season he will be charged and fined again - hopefully!:thinking-006:
Cat

[IR_mike]

So....good for the Judge, :sHa_shakeshout: my question is , what on earth does a 25 year ban on hunting do to a convicted poacher?....obviously these two morons hadn't bought a bunch of tags from the beginning???...

It just gives F and W a excuse to keep in contact with them for 25 years.

[Pincherguy]

This is a real good start, I feel they deserve more but this will do.
PG

[southunter]

Does anybody know if he has a handle here on AO?

[icefisher11]

Pretty good.. About time they start Handing out fines like this..

[TheLegend]

woooooooooooot party time!!!!

[Kurt505]

Not good enough. The only reason this is over and done with inside of two weeks is because of a plea bargain deal. They should be paying $100,000, forefitting the hummer and serving 14-24 months those dirty rotten scum bags. 131 charges and only $130,000 in penalties???? $764 a charge??? Wow what a slap on the wrist. I'll go out whacking deer and elk at night if its only gonna cost me $764 and a 70 day hunting suspension. What a joke.

[trainerdave]

:) YES,next time;jail time...Love the call from behind the bench:love0025:

[bushnell]

I guess that is why I saw all the F/W trucks there today. Too bad the penalty was not more.

[buckkiller321]

Great day!! Which outfitter did he spend some time working for?

[Redneck Renagade]

He should have his nuts chopped off and sold then placed in the same jail cell as the biggest guy they have in there. So what if he got a 25 year hunting ban. The piece of chit poached before hell he will do it again. He has no morals or ethics when it comes to honest hunting. Some one should tie him up and spray him with cow in heat scent and let a moose take advantage of him like he took advantage of our wildlife. Rant over

[pseelk]

They were still able to plead out.Because they plead guilty to some 21 or 23 chargesw the other 100+ were dropped.However the penalty is substantial.The judge also told them if they appear before him again they will get jail time.

[Kurt505]

He should have his nuts chopped off and sold then placed in the same jail cell as the biggest guy they have in there. So what if he got a 25 year hunting ban. The piece of chit poached before hell he will do it again. He has no morals or ethics when it comes to honest hunting. Some one should tie him up and spray him with cow in heat scent and let a moose take advantage of him like he took advantage of our wildlife. Rant over

I got inside info on this case and apparently it was her who had done most of the shooting. I must admit it was mighty fine work on behalf of our fish and wildlife officers, and quite a sting the way it went down. Apparently quite a light show when the cavalry showed up. From what I understand those two chit bags are lucky they took the plea deal because f&w had a SOLID case and weren't about to back down on any of the charges.

[6mmhunter]

$80k and lose a hummer.......ouch :happy0034:[/QUOTE]

Too bad he didn't get the 2 years imprisonment as well. He'd have given away many hummers then!

[huntin'fool]

$80k and lose a hummer.......ouch :happy0034:

Too bad he didn't get the 2 years imprisonment as well. He'd have given away many hummers then!

OMG, I almost p!ssed myself. Too funny!!

Ya, wow, 100K plus a hummer. Musta been one bad dude!

[depopulator]

Why no jail time ? Money comes and goes - fines get paid and forgotten. Vehicles obtained through the gains of criminal activity is easy come and easy go - no biggie. A 25 year ban on hunting means little to a poacher. But locking them up for a year or two would provide a lot of time to think about straight and narrow. Judge missed the mark on this one IMO.

[CaberTosser]

The Hummer was proceeds of crime, these two probably couldn't hold down real jobs because of how much time they dedicated to poaching. What I wonder, is how does the crown expect to collect the fine money from these convicts? I think they should see at least a year of jail each, plus their fines. No PAL's either, ever. Let 'em try working for a living.

[PistonBroke]

He should have his nuts chopped off and sold then placed in the same jail cell as the biggest guy they have in there. So what if he got a 25 year hunting ban. The piece of chit poached before hell he will do it again. He has no morals or ethics when it comes to honest hunting. Some one should tie him up and spray him with cow in heat scent and let a moose take advantage of him like he took advantage of our wildlife. Rant over


Tisk tisk now !!!

[happy honker]

Good wording in the article.
Calling a poacher a hunter is like calling the hi-jacker the co-pilot.

[gordfishing]

Should have gotten a little taste of JAIL and I agree getting blood from a stone maybe difficult

[avb3]

Now all we need is a statement from APOS that neither of these two dirt bags will ever have outfitter OR guide licenses.

Naaa... will never happen. They would claim 'double jeopardy'.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Now all we need is a statement from APOS that neither of these two dirt bags will ever have outfitter OR guide licenses.

Naaa... will never happen. They would claim 'double jeopardy'.

They will still be allowed to guide....just won't be able to buy a license.

LC

[CaberTosser]

I bet those fines won't even cover half the cost of the investigation and trial, if they ever pay up; the fines should be on top of costs incurred by the taxpaying public related to their crimes.

[Kokanee9]

Is there anything stopping these 2 from moving to another province and getting any license they want there and starting over? Wouldn't the 25 year suspension only apply to AB?

[BigRackLover]

Not good enough. The only reason this is over and done with inside of two weeks is because of a plea bargain deal. They should be paying $100,000, forefitting the hummer and serving 14-24 months those dirty rotten scum bags. 131 charges and only $130,000 in penalties???? $764 a charge??? Wow what a slap on the wrist. I'll go out whacking deer and elk at night if its only gonna cost me $764 and a 70 day hunting suspension. What a joke.

Good point. I spent about that on airplane fuel and gas (nevermind gear) for my elk hunt this year. Mind you, if I was hunting at night with a rifle instead of daylight hours with a bow, my gas bill would have been much lower.

But I aggree .... 131 charges ..... think of how much time, gas, money and what not has been wasted by 'actual; hunters because these two skum bags screwed up their hunts.

I guess the enought money to cover one for fish cop with have to do ... unless those fines do into the "big pool of money" and SRD only see's a portion.

[New Hunter Okotoks]

There's not too many times that I think jail time is warranted for Wildlife offences. This would be the exception. The sheer number of violations is staggering. It would be interesting to know the REAL number Wildlife offences these two have commited in their lives.

I think that the Maximum of 2 years should have been handed out here. This was obviously an extreme case and should have brought with it an extreme sentence. If no time was handed to these 2 Poachers, I wonder what somebody would have to do in order to receive the Maximum 2 year Jail Sentence the Judge has at his disposal?

These 2 will likely just set up shop in BC and be back at it.

[conan]

A big step in the right direction. It's about time our courts grew some gonads.

[Ice Fishing Maniac]

Good for these 2. I hope they took their firearms and licenses away too for the 25 years.

As for our justice system, it should crack down just as hard on thieves and other criminals inside of the slap on the wrist punishment.

[avb3]

They will still be allowed to guide....just won't be able to buy a license.

LC

APOS "guiding principles" on ethics states:

A member, or anyone employed by a member, shall not breach, encourage or condone any violation of the Alberta Wildlife Act and regulations. A member shall be in a position to advise both employees and clients of their rights and responsibilities under the Act and regulations, while under his jurisdiction. A member shall make a reasonable effort to report any violation of the Alberta Wildlife Act and regulations, of which they have knowledge, to an Enforcement Officer or to Report a Poacher, at their earliest opportunity.

OK, that's what the guiding principles are. Now what is reality?

The Wildlife Regulations allow for the following (the Society referred to is APOS):

8 The Society may cancel or suspend a licence, permit or guide’s designation issued by it in accordance with the by‑laws.

So, will APOS cancel and prohibit these criminals from guiding? Past actions would suggest they don't are and won't.

[Okotokian]

APOS suffers from the same problem as the Alberta Teachers Association. You cannot support and represent a group and also be the regulator.

Doctors have the Alberta Medical Association to represent them, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons to regulate them.

APOS should be an industry association and another body should regulate the industry, granting or pulling licenses, etc.

[tegcont]

I recently picked up a copy of Western canadian game warden magazine. After reading the stories in it and realizing the penalties paid by poachers in Canada are ridiculously little, it is good to see some of these dirt bags get a fine of this size. I truly wish that the penalties for these offences were way harsher. Jail time is necessary. Guiding, and hunting for these people should be banned, forever.

[elkhunter11]

APOS "guiding principles" on ethics states:

A member, or anyone employed by a member, shall not breach, encourage or condone any violation of the Alberta Wildlife Act and regulations. A member shall be in a position to advise both employees and clients of their rights and responsibilities under the Act and regulations, while under his jurisdiction. A member shall make a reasonable effort to report any violation of the Alberta Wildlife Act and regulations, of which they have knowledge, to an Enforcement Officer or to Report a Poacher, at their earliest opportunity.

OK, that's what the guiding principles are. Now what is reality?

The Wildlife Regulations allow for the following (the Society referred to is APOS):

8 The Society may cancel or suspend a licence, permit or guide’s designation issued by it in accordance with the by‑laws.

So, will APOS cancel and prohibit these criminals from guiding? Past actions would suggest they don't are and won't.

The fact that APOS allowed L.M. to continue outfitting after multiple convictions under both the Wildlife Act, and the Criminal Act, showed just how useless APOS really is.

[avb3]

The fact that APOS allowed L.M. to continue outfitting after multiple convictions under both the Wildlife Act, and the Criminal Act, showed just how useless APOS really is.

Yes, I certainly had that individual in mind. Guess if one lawyers up and comes to the Disciplinary hearings threatening to sue, the organization backs off.

[avb3]

APOS suffers from the same problem as the Alberta Teachers Association. You cannot support and represent a group and also be the regulator.

Doctors have the Alberta Medical Association to represent them, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons to regulate them.

APOS should be an industry association and another body should regulate the industry, granting or pulling licenses, etc.

Lawyers work the same way, however, accountants professional organizations are structured similar to the APOS disciplinary procedure. If APOS doesn't start (and they've had 15 years to start) actually pulling allocations and canceling permits and licenses for wildlife infractions, then perhaps it is time to lobby for the changes you propose.

APOS disciplinary committee primarily worries about clients of outfitters, and conflicts between outfitters. They really don't care that much about those outfitters that break wildlife laws. The proof is in the pudding.

[huntin]

Now all we need is a statement from APOS that neither of these two dirt bags will ever have outfitter OR guide licenses.

Naaa... will never happen. They would claim 'double jeopardy'.

As far as I know he was banned from apos. Along time ago.

[elkhunter11]

As far as I know he was banned from apos. Along time ago.

L.M. is still listed as a member of APOS, despite his multiple convictions under both the Wildlife Act, and the Criminal Act.

[Horatiumuresan]

:sHa_shakeshout:

[JohnB]

Is there anything stopping these 2 from moving to another province and getting any license they want there and starting over? Wouldn't the 25 year suspension only apply to AB?

I would bet that the two will just move to BC or Sask and start at it again. It would have been nice to see a ban across Canada for the pair.

[Matt L.]

I would bet that the two will just move to BC or Sask and start at it again. It would have been nice to see a ban across Canada for the pair.

You don't think that F&W communicates with their counterparts in B.C. And Sask?

[Moosetalker]

Hopefully this is a trend and in future poachers will be held to a higher accounting in the courts from now on.

:sHa_shakeshout::sHa_shakeshout::sHa_shakeshout:

And the statement read Prohibited from any Hunting related activitys for 25yrs .
This should cover guiding, hunter hosting, hunt filming, etcetera. at least I hope so :sign0176:

Anyhow it is a positive step in the right direction.
And we can allways hope for a lttle divine intervention :Lightning:

[JohnB]

You don't think that F&W communicates with their counterparts in B.C. And Sask?

They might. Can you tell me if they are banned in BC, Sask, Yukon, NWT?

[huntin]

I know in the yukon you can not hunt or guide if you are under suspension anywhere else

[Matt L.]

They might. Can you tell me if they are banned in BC, Sask, Yukon, NWT?

No, I can't tell you that. But if they packed up and moved, I'd be highly surprised if CO's wherever they went wouldn't know inside a week.

[North of Owlseye]

Lawyers work the same way, however, accountants professional organizations are structured similar to the APOS disciplinary procedure. If APOS doesn't start (and they've had 15 years to start) actually pulling allocations and canceling permits and licenses for wildlife infractions, then perhaps it is time to lobby for the changes you propose.

APOS disciplinary committee primarily worries about clients of outfitters, and conflicts between outfitters. They really don't care that much about those outfitters that break wildlife laws. The proof is in the pudding.

There is a big difference at work here. The problem I think lies in the misuse of the word "professional". It used to imply a few important things including: higher education (ie a degree or advanced degrees), the ability to make critical judgements (like a doctor might), and a self regulating body that could be trusted to actually sanction its own (bar associations).
Over time 'professional' simply came to mean that you do something for money. Like a pool player or a prostitute are professionals because the no longer do what they do for pleasure but for cash.
APOS, despite putting the word professional in their name, is none of the first things and all of the second thing. They as a body do not have any higher education standard involving degrees, they are not commonly suspected of CRITICAL judgement calls based on education or experience, and certainly cannot regulate themselves in any meaningful way. They ply thier trade for money like the aforementioned prostitute.
Their discipline procedure is laughable since LM is still listed as a member in good standing.

[Rifle]

I think a few misconceptions need to be cleared up here.

1)Debate about how harsh the penalty SHOULD have been

Now, we all wish that the maximum jail time had been thrown in as well, and that more charges could have been pursued. However, in reality it was a huge win, and a big step in the right direction. You don't see sentences like that for wildlife offences. It was a lot better than many of us dared hope, and sets a great precedent for the future.

2)Those who say: Not harsh enough/money is no big deal/no jail time!

For those who say it's not enough, I wonder how many can stroke a cheque for $100,000 if they were asked to tomorrow. I doubt many people can. For Brophy, 16 charges at $5000 each equals $80,000. Now if he can't pay that, every charge of $5000 carries an "or 60 days jail in default." Do the math. If he can't pay any of it, that's 32 months in jail, or almost 3 years. And you don't get time cut off for good behaviour on these type of warrants. So for every $5000 he can't pay, he has to serve 60 days. Same for her.

3) The misconception surrounding the 25 year ban.

The 25 year ban is not just on hunting. He cannot hunt or [B]be with[B] anyone who is hunting. Meaning he can't guide. He can't even be out driving through a field with a friend who is hunting. For a guy whose life seems to revolve around poaching, this will be impossible to avoid. He'll get caught again (since every Fish and Wildlife officer in the province will recognize the name) and when he does, the judge has promised jail time.

Fish and Wildlife did a great job on a very long and complex investigation, and Brophy recieved one of the harshest sentences ever handed out. Congratulations to the officers, and thank you to all those who phoned in. Please remember to call in and make a report if you see something illegal, this case is proof that it really can work!

[Big Daddy Badger]

I bet those fines won't even cover half the cost of the investigation and trial, if they ever pay up; the fines should be on top of costs incurred by the taxpaying public related to their crimes.

What trial?
...they pled guilty and were sentenced

[CaberTosser]

What trial?
...they pled guilty and were sentenced

Well obviously that was a minute cost compared to the investigation and having the crown prosecutor prepare the case against them, but there's still the lights, judge and bailiffs salaries to pay for; split hairs much? If the crown had not spent time compiling a strong case against these criminals, the defense lawyer would not have so quickly curled up into a ball and recommended the guilty plea.



Anyone care to PM me about the cryptically referred to hunting guide/convicted poacher by the initails "LM"? Is that a banned name on AO like Kimv**r Gill is on CGN?

[CaberTosser]

By pulling up APOS's member list and going through every page for anyone initialed LM first had me Googling one fellow by those initials, who didn't have any hits on "L... M... convicted poacher", but the second fellow by those initials sure did, I'll bump the link:

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=28999

[elkhunter11]

By pulling up APOS's member list and going through every page for anyone initialed LM first had me Googling one fellow by those initials, who didn't have any hits on "L... M... convicted poacher", but the second fellow by those initials sure did, I'll bump the link:

This convicted criminal/poacher is well known to much of the hunting community, he is the absolute proof of just how useless APOS really is. Not only will APOS do nothing about his kind, but neither will SRD or the minister, both of which I have personally contacted. Everyone involved with the government maintains that it is up to APOS to discipline their members, so in the end APOS is allowed to do whatever they choose, which in this case is nothing, but pretend that they are a legitimate organization. SRD even gives APOS a say in how many tags the outfitters receive each year, despite the fact that SRD knows that APOS has some convicted criminals and poachers as members. And you wonder why the wildlife management in Alberta is in it's current state.:rolleye2:

[jryley]

So....and forgive me if i missed something here....is this case referring to a certain 'outfitter' that operates out of lloyd, two hills and south of wainwright?

[avb3]

So....and forgive me if i missed something here....is this case referring to a certain 'outfitter' that operates out of lloyd, two hills and south of wainwright?

Yes. Also convicted of the Lacy Act in the US.

[avb3]

I think a few misconceptions need to be cleared up here. ...............
The 25 year ban is not just on hunting. He cannot hunt or [B]be with[B] anyone who is hunting. Meaning he can't guide. He can't even be out driving through a field with a friend who is hunting. For a guy whose life seems to revolve around poaching, this will be impossible to avoid. He'll get caught again (since every Fish and Wildlife officer in the province will recognize the name) and when he does, the judge has promised jail time.
.........

Do you have a reference other than the newspaper report on this? The judgement is not online yet. What you state certainly is one interpretation, and it is wonderful if that is the case.

[jryley]

Anyone have a description of this guys truck or work related vehicle pertaining to his guiding business? Ill be in his area this weekend and would love nothing more than to call him in if i see him out in the fields

[sheephunter]

Anyone have a description of this guys truck or work related vehicle pertaining to his guiding business? Ill be in his area this weekend and would love nothing more than to call him in if i see him out in the fields

Apparently he's in the market for a new ride...lol

[hal53]

Apparently he's in the market for a new ride...lol
Cool!!!!...I have a gently used Black Dodge dually that I haven't driven for the past 6 or so months...I will give him a call....:scared0018:

[MoJoeMaggie]

That guy is a boilermaker out of union local 146......thanks you retard

[Lefty-Canuck]

That guy is a boilermaker out of union local 146......thanks you retard

????

So you are saying he is a unionized poacher?

LC :)

[IR_mike]

That guy is a boilermaker out of union local 146......thanks you retard

And they probably dont like there local being associated with a criminal....hmm.

[hal53]

And they probably dont like there local being associated with a criminal....hmm.
Apparently APOS doesn't have a problem with it...so good for the union!!....

[IR_mike]

Apparently APOS doesn't have a problem with it...so good for the union!!....

Dureing the late 80's a local was convicted of shooting a lynx from a work vehicle (witnessed) and pinched when he came back to retreive it.

His brother (even though I did not think it fair) was denied contract work by some of the local companies as it was well publicised and that was the reason given.

In the late 90's another local was convicted of poaching 4 moose and letting the meat go to waste.

It was reported in one of the edmonton papers that unrelated people with the same name were harrassed and threatened by telephone over it.

[hal53]

Dureing the late 80's a local was convicted of shooting a lynx from a work vehicle (witnessed) and pinched when he came back to retreive it.

His brother (even though I did not think it fair) was denied contract work by some of the local companies as it was well publicised and that was the reason given.

In the late 90's another local was convicted of poaching 4 moose and letting the meat go to waste.

It was reported in one of the edmonton papers that unrelated people with the same name were harrassed and threatened by telephone over it.
...uhhh and your point is???, my take from the union guy was that he was PO's because the crfiminal was a union member,don't know where this got side tracked, but I think he meant that he was upset that a union guy , or one of his co-workers would pull this crap....not judgemental at all about any union....????

[IR_mike]

...uhhh and your point is???, my take from the union guy was that he was PO's because the crfiminal was a union member,don't know where this got side tracked, but I think he meant that he was upset that a union guy , or one of his co-workers would pull this crap....not judgemental at all about any union....????

W_f??

My point is some people just dont like poachers (second example) and some organizations (first example) dont like employing people related/associated with convicted poachers.

Where do you get the judgemental from in my post :confused::confused:

I imagine the new poster is a 146 member and Poed at the guy as well.

Im thinking the executive board of 146 takes a dim veiw of any member being involved in illegal activities especially one as publicised as this.

[havesomeclass]

Must have got a little less legal advice and coaching from there lawyer. Should have got a hold of blake shymr. He surely could have showed them how to weasel out of it. Look at that priceless little man, convicted multiple times and still guides and outfits.
Karma has a funny way of working, I'm sure these master hunters will find out that eventually, sooner then later for some. :shark:

[magnummike]

Damned fools.....they should've operated in Ontario under metis status.

Trace an ancester 200 years ago that might have been native and there you go......

Metis labelled white guys here in Ontario are eradicating fish and wildlife..