Five southeast Alaska commercial fishermen have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to illegally harvest halibut, in violation of the Lacey Act. The defendants are Jonathan Pavlik, 43, Vincent Jacobson, 51, and Kyle Dierick, 36, all from Yakutat; Michael Babic, 42, from Cordova; and Timothy Ross, 58, from Washington.
According to court documents, these experienced commercial fishermen allegedly conspired to illegally catch halibut near Yakutat between 2019 and 2023. The indictment states that Pavlik worked separately with each co-defendant—Jacobson, Dierick, Babic, and Ross—to land halibut without being present on the fishing vessel throughout the trip. This conduct is said to violate federal law and regulations.
The indictment further alleges that the defendants falsely reported their catches as creditable toward their Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) permit balances. The IFQ system requires anyone commercially fishing for halibut in Alaskan waters to hold a valid permit.
Pavlik and his co-conspirators are accused of being responsible for more than 10,700 pounds of illegally harvested halibut. Additionally, between August 31 and October 11 of last year, Pavlik is alleged to have sold over 9,600 pounds of halibut caught aboard the F/V Bad Intentions but then transferred illegally to another vessel before landing for sale.
Charges against Pavlik include four counts of Lacey Act conspiracy as well as five counts each of unlawful sale and false labeling under the Lacey Act. Jacobson, Dierick, Babic and Ross each face one count of conspiracy under the same act. All five men are scheduled for initial court appearances within two weeks before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble at the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
If convicted on all counts, each defendant could face up to five years in prison per count and fines up to $250,000 per count. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after reviewing applicable guidelines and statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska stated: “An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Heyman along with Assistant Director Benjamin Cheeseman from NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement’s Alaska Division. The investigation is being conducted by NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement Alaska Division with support from the Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Brickey and Mac Caille Petursson are prosecuting this case.
This release has been updated due to a spelling error.
