Lobster-poaching ring leader gets 2.5 years in federal pen
Admitted Lower Keys lobster poacher David Dreifort was sentenced Friday to two and a half years in prison, and his wife [Denise D. Dreifort] to seven months in jail, for leading what’s been called the Key’s largest lobster poaching operation ever. Their sentencings by U.S. District Court Judge Jose Martinez put the lid on a case the feds dubbed Operation Freezer Burn. According to evidence presented through pleadings, trial and other in-court statements, the six defendants in Operation Freezer Burn were directly involved in illegally taking 1,197 lobster on the opening day of Florida’s commercial lobster season in August 2008, and stockpiling approximately 1,700 pounds of wrung lobster tail harvested during the closed season. The operation was based out of Cudjoe Key.
In addition to prison, David Dreifert was ordered to serve three years of probation following his release, and is prohibited from fishing for five years in South Florida. [That's NOT long enough] His wife follows her jail time with seven months of home confinement with electronic monitoring, and is also banned from fishing South Florida waters for five years. The Dreiforts also forfeited to the U.S. government their three vehicles and three vessels, used in the lobster poaching operation. On June 11, Robert Hammer was sentenced to two months in jail, home confinement for six months with electronic monitoring, and supervised release for two years. In a parallel civil action, they were ordered to pay $1.1 million toward restoration of the marine sanctuary, including removing 700 casitas. The couple is expected to raise the money by selling their Cudjoe Key home and another property on Little Torch Key.
On June 10, Sean Reyngoudt was sentenced to home confinement for four months with electronic monitoring, four years of probation and 300 hours of community service. He’s banned from fishing South Florida waters for four years.
On June 2, Key Wester Michael Delph was sentenced to 10 months in jail, home confinement for six months with electronic monitoring, 100 hours of community service and supervised release for two years. Delph is the only one who went to trial. [This is the saddest case, local fishing legend's son.]
John Niles, the first to enter a guilty plea, cooperated in the case, and testified against Delph. He received a year of probation.
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Tags: Lobster, Lobster 2009