Lewis was convicted of a violation of the Federal Lacey Act, which prohibits the sale in interstate commerce of wildlife taken in violation of state law. He was found guilty of the charge in a jury trial in May 1999 and was acquitted on a related charge of conspiring with others to violate the Lacey Act.
The conviction and sentence arose out of Lewis efforts to organize commercial hunts of elk held in captivity on property he owned adjacent to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The governments evidence at trial indicated Lewis had organized one or more hunts without complying with Oklahoma statutes regarding such hunts and that Lewis had lured elk from the refuge to his property.
"This investigation and sentence sends a clear message that the United States will vigorously enforce laws that protect against illegal commercialization or trafficking of its wildlife resources," said Frank Shoemaker, Assistant Regional Director for Law Enforcement in the Services Southwest Region.
In sentencing Lewis, the judge concluded Lewis had obstructed justice by testifying falsely at trial as to where he acquired the key he used to access the refuge property, his knowledge of false documents relating to purported elk purchases, and other matters. The case was investigated by Special Agent Garland Swain of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the cooperation of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randal Sengel and Joe Heaton prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.
