Illegal fish: Striped bass, sold to seafood dealer Clinton Harbor, CT (US) Date: Aug 16, 2005 Disposition: State Citation Persons of Interest: John L Zacks Benjamin A Rapuano

Case ID: 6636 Classification: Unlawful Trapping/Hunting, Unlawful Trade/Smuggling Animal: marine animal (wild) View more cases in CT (US) « Back to Search Results Login to Watch this Case

On December 4, 2005, Officers from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of State Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police served two arrest warrants for illegal possession and attempted sale of striped bass. These warrants concluded an investigation by State EnCon Police Officers, assisted by Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers and agents from the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

John Zacks, 78 of East Haven, CT and Benjamin Rapuano, 51 of New Haven, CT were charged with Conspiracy to Sell Striped Bass, twenty-nine counts of Possession of Striped Bass over the Daily Creel Limit, Commercial Fishing Without a License, and violations of regulation limiting the commercial possession of scup by 110 pounds.

The investigation began August 16, 2005, when Zacks, Rapuano and a third subject landed 808 pounds of striped bass in Clinton Harbor and transported them to a seafood dealer in New Bedford, MA. Massachusetts Officers arrested Zacks and Rapuano at the seafood dealer on various illegal sale charges. Both subjects turned themselves in to Connecticut EnCon Officers on 12/4/2005. They were processed at State Police Troop F in Westbrook and released on a promise to appear at Superior Court in Middletown on 12/20/2005. An active arrest warrant is pending for a third subject.

References

Connecticut Dept of Agriculture - December 5, 2005

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