Officials charged Dan Holleman, 54, of Fairbanks, with nine counts, including five Lacey Act felonies. Hollemans indictment involves sale and export of illegally taken wildlife, using an airplane to chase a grizzly bear and illegally hunting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife taken illegally included a grizzly bear, a dall sheep and a moose.
Also indicted were three guides working with the same guiding business: The leader, Robert Eubank, 45, of Plano Texas, Gary Munoz, 41, of Palmer, and David Campbell, 34, of North Bend, Wash. Indicted on Lacey Act violations, all of the guided hunts involved moose.
"The Service will not tolerate this kind of abuse," said Tim Eicher, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agent. "When licensed guides are taking clients to our wilderness areas and breaking the laws, theres almost nothing worse."
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agents seized a Supercub airplane from Holleman and a Supercub and Cessna 180 from Eubank. That makes a total of eight airplanes seized so far in Operation Brooks Range.
During December, in a concerted and simultaneous operation, law enforcement agents arrested seven guides and charged one additional guide after a two-year sting operation in which state and federal undercover agents posed as clients. Since that time four more guides or assistant guides have been charged, including Holleman, Eubank, Munoz and Campbell.
The new felony and misdemeanor charges filed in the case so far include hunting animals with aircraft, hunting animals on the same day they are spotted from aircraft, and exceeding the bag limit of big game.
"A very important part of the Services mission is to enforce the laws designed to protect and enhance our wildlife populations," Eicher said. "Especially when it involves the commercialization of illegally taken wildlife.
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