On Thursday, May 16, Franklin and Carolyn Hale, doing business as Royaloff Caviar, Savannah, Tennessee, were found guilty of six felony violations of the Lacey Act and conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act. Charges included purchasing paddlefish caviar which was harvested during closed Tennessee seasons and in closed waters, sale of caviar in interstate commerce which was taken in violation of state laws, purchasing fish without being licensed as a wholesale fish dealer by the State of Tennessee, and creating false documents to conceal the identities of fishermen and locations where the paddlefish eggs were taken. Special agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and wildlife investigators from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) worked together to prepare the case against the defendants.
In addition, Wendy Haney-Melson, daughter of Franklin and Carolyn Hale, was found guilty of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act for her role in creating false documents and purchasing paddlefish caviar taken during closed seasons and from closed waters.
