August 1, 2013 — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a Long Island fisherman with wire fraud and falsification of federal records in connection with a scheme they say resulted in the illegal harvesting of more than 86,000 pounds of fluke over three years.
During an appearance at U.S. District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday, Charles Wertz Jr. of East Meadow entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, which stem from fishing that federal prosecutors say took place between 2009 and 2011.
Christopher Hale, a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice's Environmental Crimes Section, said prosecutors were negotiating a plea agreement with Wertz and requested an adjournment until later this month. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bianco granted the adjournment.
Wertz, 53, was released on his own recognizance. He and his attorney, Ronald Russo of Manhattan, declined to comment.
Feds charged in a 10-page criminal information that Wertz unlawfully harvested fluke valued at more than $199,000 by manipulating a federal program known as research set-asides. The program allows fishermen to buy additional quotas beyond legal limits. Regulators use the proceeds from set-aside auctions to fund fisheries research.
Feds charged that Wertz and his C&C Ocean Fishery Ltd. in Freeport underreported the actual amount of fluke taken during that three-year period by 86,080 pounds, filing 137 falsified fishing reports via the Internet. The document alleges Wertz took advantage of the research set-aside program by harvesting fluke beyond state limits but failing to properly report the catch against his research set-aside allotment.
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