File photo of sea bass. (Photo: AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
A commercial fisherman accused of conspiring with others to sell 200,000 pounds (90,000 kilos) of fish in excess of legal quotas has been convicted in federal court in New York.
Christopher Winkler, 63, of Montauk, was convicted Wednesday in Central Islip of one count of criminal conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud and two counts of obstruction of justice. Winkler, the captain of a fishing trawler called the New Age, was accused of falsifying records to sell illegal fluke and black sea bass worth nearly $900,000 between 2014 and 2017.
“Fluke and black sea bass play a vital part in our marine ecosystem and quotas are designed to prevent overfishing and stabilize populations for the public good,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said in a news release. “We will continue to seek justice against those who flout laws that protect fisheries and the fishing industry.”
Winkler's attorneys Richard Levitt and Peter Smith said the case was based on outdated limits on fluke, also known as summer flounder.
“There is nothing at all rational about this system, but Mr. Winkler and other Long Island fishermen are easy scapegoats for this regulatory insanity,” the lawyers said in a statement.
The New York Times reported that Levitt told jurors that Winkler was a “working stiff” who had been wronged by the government in a misguided prosecution. Levitt also pointed to rules that force fishermen to throw over-quota fish back into the water even if most die.
Prosecutors said Winkler supplied over-the-limit fish to dealers, including Gosman’s fish dock in Montauk and two others that operated out of the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx.
Two members of the Gosman family, cousins Asa and Bryan Gosman, pleaded guilty in 2021 to a single count of mail fraud and cooperated in the government’s investigation.
Newsday reported that Winkler's attorneys sought to paint the prosecution's witnesses as untrustworthy, noting that many, including the Gosmans, admitted to drug and alcohol use.
Prosecutor Christopher Hale said during his summation that some of the witnesses were “scoundrels” but added, “We take the witnesses as they come. It’s not a beauty pageant.”
Levitt vowed to appeal the verdict. Winkler remains free on bail and no date has been set for his sentencing.
Join Cheddar News as we break down the top headlines this morning including updates on the Jan. 6 hears, the PGA suspension of 17 of the world's best golfers, and NASA's plans to study UFOs.
The national average for a gallon of gas is closing in on $5 dollars per gallon and it's putting pressure on already strained budgets. The summer travel season could stall out before it even gets started. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier has some great hacks to help you save a few bucks at the pump.
Lower Manhattan's iconic Stone Street is getting a bubbly makeover. Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte will be 'unleashing the bubbles' throughout the month of June in New York City, with themed events, bubble ball pits, and special menu and drink experiences. Anne-Laure Domenichini, director of communications for Champagne Nicholas Feuillatte, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer for the Human Rights Foundation, joins Closing Bell, where he explains where tech experts are getting it wrong when they call crypto risky and unproven. He also stresses the importance of crypto and points to how Ukraine was able to use Bitcoin during the onset of the Russian invasion.
API platform RapidAPI recently became a unicorn with a $1 billion valuation after raising $150 million in a Series D funding round led by Softbank Vision Two Fund. Microsoft's Venture Fund, M12, and Andreessen Horowitz also participated. RapidAPI says it provides the world's largest API hub which enables millions of developers and companies to build software faster. Iddo Gino, founder and CEO of RapidAPI, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The PGA Tour has announced that it will suspend players that are competing in the LIV Golf event that teed off today. At least 17 players, including names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Sergio Garcia are banned from the PGA Tour competition. Hilary Fordwich, a business analyst and golf expert, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the PGA had to go this route. This is a threat to the future of golf for them, and there's been many contentions about them not being fair and that this is vindictive," she said. "Don't forget, of course, they represent sort of a monopoly in the history of golf. So you've got two sides to this story. You've got those the purists, those that feel that golf should only be a certain way and that there are only these limited events that the PGA puts on. And then you've got other people who are saying … this is all about money"
Facebook parent Meta officially has changed it’s ticker symbol from ‘FB’ to ‘META’. Paul Meeks, a portfolio manager, Independent Solutions Wealth Management, and a professor of practice in the Baker School of Business at The Citadel, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the tech giant has had to make big changes to its name, its ticker, and its business plans. "When you see what's happening in digital advertising — and there was a slowdown there even before the threat of a recession, which could cause a even more drastic slowdown next year — they had to pivot," he said. Meeks noted he sees Facebook dominating in the metaverse space going forward — whatever that may end up being.
