Skip to main content

Montauk Fisherman Charged in New Indictment

Thu, 02/03/2022 - 09:18

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York unsealed a superseding indictment last week that charges a Montauk fisherman with both conspiracy and substantive charges in connection with a scheme to illegally overharvest fluke and black sea bass.

The United States Department of Justice announced on Jan. 26 that Christopher Winkler was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, to obstruct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the falsification of fishing logs, and to unlawfully frustrate NOAA’s efforts at regulating federal fisheries.

Mr. Winkler, along with two members of Montauk’s Gosman family, were indicted last April on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and obstructing an investigation in connection with a scheme to sell at least $250,000 in illegally caught fluke and black sea bass. Bryan Gosman and Asa Gosman, who are part owners of Bob Gosman Co. in Montauk, later pleaded guilty in federal court to one felony count of criminal conspiracy for their role in a scheme to purchase illegal fluke and black sea bass from Mr. Winkler. They were not charged in the superseding indictment, which takes the place of the previously active one.

The superseding indictment alleges that between May 2014 and February 2017, Mr. Winkler, as captain of the New Age, went on at least 220 fishing trips “on which he cumulatively overharvested at least 200,000 pounds more fluke, and at least 20,000 pounds more black sea bass, than he was allowed to catch under applicable trip limits during this time.” At various times, this fish was sold to two now-defunct companies in the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx and to Bob Gosman Co. According to court filings, the overall over-quota of all species of fish was valued at least at $850,000 wholesale.

Under federal law, a fishing captain is required to accurately detail his catch on a Fishing Vessel Trip Report, or F.V.T.R., which is sent to NOAA. The first company that buys fish directly from a fishing vessel is termed a fish dealer, and fish dealers are required to specify what they purchase on a federal form known as a dealer report, which is transmitted electronically to NOAA. NOAA uses this information to set policies designed to ensure a sustainable fishery.

The superseding indictment alleges that part of the conspiracy was to falsify both F.V.T.R.s and dealer reports in order to cover up the fact that fish were taken in excess of quotas.

The charges, according to the Department of Justice, are part of a multi-year, ongoing investigation into fisheries fraud on Long Island.

On the Police Logs 09.18.25

A West Way, East Hampton, woman’s trees are unexpectedly dying, she told police Friday afternoon, and she suspects that her next-door neighbor is to blame.

Sep 18, 2025

Hurt Dodging an Accident

A Sag Harbor man was injured Friday evening after his Mazda sedan collided with a tree in Wainscott. 

Sep 18, 2025

911 Dispatching Transition Continues

Months after East Hampton Town announced it would take over responsibility for most 911 calls from East Hampton Village’s Emergency Communications Center, which had provided the service for decades, the changeover is still unfolding.

Sep 11, 2025

Arraigned in Main Beach Child-Biting Case

Gail Bomze, the 75-year-old real estate agent accused of biting a 7-year-old girl during a T-shirt toss on East Hampton’s Main Beach last month, has a day in court.

Sep 11, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.