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Winkler's attorneys Richard Levitt and Peter Smith said the case was based on outdated limits on fluke, also known as summer flounder.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.
One NFL team says it is using data to help it win off the field. The Seattle Seahawks say they want to be a source of inspiration for other organizations that want to reap the rewards of a data-driven culture and aim to show the unlikely role data can play in professional sports operations. Seattle Seahawks Director of Business Strategy and Analytics Paimon Jaberi joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Aurora Cannabis CEO Miguel Martin joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the company's latest earnings results, how it will achieve positive EBITDA by 2023, and the state of the cannabis industry amid potential U.S. federal legalization.
Disney saw misses on both its top and bottom lines for its fourth quarter. The entertainment giant also fell just short of Wall Street expectations for new Disney+ subscribers. CFRA Research media and entertainment analyst Tuna Amobi joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to break down what this means for the future of Disney.
Johnson & Johnson is the latest company to announce this week it is splitting into two companies, separating its consumer operations from its pharmaceutical and medical devices unit. Electronics firm Toshiba also made a similar announcement today, and General Electric earlier this week also said it would be spinning off its aviation, healthcare, and power businesses. What does this mean for investors - and will this become a trend among conglomerates? Barron's Senior Writer Al Root joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss why Johnson & Johnson is splitting up, what this strategy means for conglomerates, and why they might pursue a break-up.
Business is booming for the used car marketplace Shift while the automotive industry as a whole struggles with demand and supply chain issues stemming from the global semiconductor shortage. Co-CEO and co-founder George Arison joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the company's stellar Q3 earnings and how it was able to meet demand.
Disney+ miss on new subscribers in Q3 and the growing momentum for moviegoers returning to brick-and-mortar theaters has brought the streaming business into question. Seth Schachner, managing director at Strat Americas, joined Cheddar to discuss the state of streaming and the growing number of options consumers have. "Streaming is for sure here to stay and I think more robust than ever," he said. "The real thing that's happening, not just to Hollywood but to lots of verticals from music to sports, is just that there's tons and tons of consumer choice."
Peter Weber, author and star of ABC's The Bachelor, joined Cheddar to talk about his new children's book, "The Adventures of Pilot Pete," scheduled for release on Nov. 23. Weber, a real commercial pilot, said that while fellow Bachelor Nation contestants tend to write books following their experience on the small screen, one of the reasons he opted to write a children's book instead was the prospect of the longevity it could provide.
Dr. Wendy Osefo, Entrepreneur, Professor & Cast Member of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Potomac', joins 'Your Future Home' to discuss her popular new Onyi Home Essentials line and how ideas of family and legacy helped shape it.
