August 16, 2012 — Captain Yacubian lost his business, his boat, his license to fish — and literally the farm that had been in the family for generations — trying to exonerate himself of false accusations that he had been fishing in a prohibited area and free himself from a malicious prosecution for lies that he never told. His persecutor? The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Two weeks ago, Captain Yacubian filed the lawsuit that may well restore his money and his life after nearly 15 years of gut-wrenching bludgeoning by the NOAA.
The Commerce Department's inspector general reviewed the NOAA's Asset Forfeiture Fund — where Yacubian's $430,000 fine went — and found that "these funds were used to purchase 'luxurious' undercover vessels, buy 202 vehicles for a staff of 172 enforcement personnel, and take trips around the world."
A special investigative judge concluded there is "credible evidence that money was NOAA's motivating objective in this case." There's also knowledgeable belief that the NOAA's purpose is to eradicate the fishing industry.
The undercover pleasure boats zoomed around Puget Sound on frivolous "Booze Cruises" to entertain NOAA employees and their families, as I noted in a previous column.
In a decade-long battle, Yacubian was thwarted at every turn. When he was ready to show that the NOAA's equipment was so unreliable it couldn't prove he had been in a forbidden area, his expert witness — a respected Massachusetts Environmental Police officer — came under pressure and asked to be excused from testifying. Yacubian lost his case, his permits, his boat and his income.
Read the full story at the Washington Examiner.