June 13, 2013 — In 2011, Arne Fuglvog pleaded guilty to illegal fishing and had to spend five months in jail. It was a mighty fall for a man who was then serving as an advisor to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and who had once been considered for the top fisheries management post in the country. Now Fuglvog is back — as a lobbyist. But Alaska’s senators aren’t giving him access.
Fuglvog lobbies for four different fishing companies. This spring, he got in touch with Sen. Mark Begich’s office on behalf of his clients, and staff talked with him.
It’ll be the only contact he gets. From here on out, Begich says that his office won’t be taking Fuglvog’s calls.
“In his case, in the business that he’s in, he’s very well — like I said — informed. He made a mistake. He paid for it. But at the same time, around the fishing industry issue, we want to make sure that we’re talking to a much broader group of people. It’s the policy of our office.”
Begich adds that initially, he didn’t know that Fuglvog was lobbying his office or other senators.
“He met with everybody. And when I became aware of it, I said, ‘That’s not happening.’”
Read the full story at NPR affiliate KTOO