LI Fisherman Charged With Conspiracy, Fraud, Obstruction: DOJ

MONTAUK, NY — A Montauk fisherman was charged with conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction, according to the United States District Court, eastern district of New York.

A federal grand jury in the eastern district of New York unsealed a superseding indictment Wednesday charging a fisherman with both conspiracy and "substantive charges" in connection with a scheme to illegally over-harvest fluke and black sea bass, federal officials said.

Christopher Winkler, 61, of Montauk, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, to obstruct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the falsification of fishing logs, and to unlawfully frustrate NOAA’s efforts at regulating federal fisheries, the United States Department of Justice said.

In April 2021, Winkler was indicted with several others as part of a conspiracy that was incorporated as part of the new indictment; however, the other defendants were not charged in the superseding indictment, the DOJ said.

The superseding indictment alleges that between May 2014 and February 2017, Winkler, as captain of the F/V New Age, went on at least 220 fishing trips where he caught fluke or black sea bass in excess of applicable trip limits, the DOJ said.

At various times during the conspiracy, the fish was sold to two now-defunct companies in the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx and a fish dealer in Montauk, federal officials said.

According to court filings, the overages of fish included at least 200,000 lbs. of fluke; the overall over-quota fish, of all species, was valued at least at $850,000 wholesale, the DOJ said.

Under federal law, a fishing captain is required to accurately detail his catch on a form known as a fishing vessel trip report, which is mailed to NOAA, the DOJ said.

Similarly, the first company that buys fish directly from a fishing vessel, termed a fish dealer, is required to specify what it purchases on a federal form known as a dealer report; NOAA utilizes the information to set policies designed to ensure a sustainable fishery, the DOJ said.

The superseding indictment alleges that part of the conspiracy was to falsify both FVTRs and dealer reports in order to cover-up the fact that fish were taken in excess of quotas, the DOJ said.

Initiated as part of "Operation One-Way Chandelier", the charges are part of a multi-year, ongoing investigation into fisheries fraud on Long Island, the DOJ said.

NOAA’s office of law enforcement investigated the case, the DOJ said.