“A fisheries fraud conspiracy” spanning about three years, at least 200 fishing trips, and 200,000 pounds of illegally taken fluke and black sea bass has now resulted in a 30-month prison sentence for a Montauk boat captain.
Christopher Winkler, 64, whose trawler is called New Age, was convicted last October on one count of federal criminal conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of obstruction of justice. A federal jury was unanimous in finding the evidence convincing that between 2014 and 2017, Mr. Winkler had falsified fishing reports to sell the fluke and black sea bass well in excess of legal limits with a “conservative wholesale valuation” of $750,000, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Last Thursday, Judge Joan M. Azrack of the U.S. Eastern District Court in Central Islip sentenced Mr. Winkler to 30 months in prison with two years’ supervised release. The prison term will begin in December, according to Mr. Winkler’s attorney, Richard Levitt. Between now and December, Mr. Levitt said on Monday, there will be additional paperwork filed related to restitution and forfeiture of assets.
Mr. Levitt declined to comment further on the sentencing.
In October, when the federal jury found Mr. Winkler guilty, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official, Michael Henry, then the acting assistant director of the agency’s Northeast law enforcement division, commented that “while most U.S. fishermen follow the law, some still feel that they are above it. It is our job to protect honest fishermen and good actors, and this verdict should serve as a reminder that those who break the rules will be held accountable.”
The case against Mr. Winkler also involved Bryan Gosman and Asa Gosman of the Bob Gosman Co. Inc., who previously pleaded guilty to one felony count each of criminal conspiracy for their roles in the fraud scheme. The Gosman cousins eventually cooperated with the prosecution and testified against Mr. Winkler.