The owner of a Juneau restaurant has pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the Lacey Act by buying thousands of pounds of subsistence-caught halibut on the cheap to sell at his business, according to the U.S. attorney.
Jason Maroney, 39, pleaded guilty to nine violations of the Lacey Act in exchange for a prison term of 10 months, prosecutors said.
Maroney was the owner and operator of the Doc Water's Pub, which is now closed for unrelated reasons. Prosecutors say he engaged in a continuing scheme to buy halibut caught by two subsistence users and to resell it in his restaurant in violation of federal law.
Prosecutors say Maroney bought more than 4,000 pounds of illegally caught halibut, about 3,700 of it from David Skrzynski, 58, of Juneau. Skrzynski, who holds a valid Subsistence Halibut Registration Certificate, previously pleaded guilty to providing the fish to Maroney from July 2005 through December 2007. The second source of the fish, who was not named, is now dead, prosecutors said.
Maroney paid more than $16,500 for the halibut at between $4 and $5 per pound, which is significantly less than he would have paid for legally harvested fish, according to prosecutors.
"We believe this is an important conviction," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis, head of the criminal division. "While it can sometimes be difficult to obtain information about illegal fishing, strict enforcement is necessary in order to deter violations."
James Barrett, an attorney representing the business, said the facts of the case never demonstrated that Maroney or his restaurant were getting a big windfall from purchasing the fish from the suppliers.
Both Maroney and Skrzynski are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1. Skrzynski is facing up to five years in prison.
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com