Three wildlife guides are facing serious legal repercussions, including the possibility of prison sentences and fines reaching up to $250,000. Federal prosecutors revealed that these individuals are alleged to have operated an illegal hunting enterprise that resulted in the deaths of at least a dozen mountain lions.
The indictment, filed at the end of August, includes 13 counts against Chad Michael Kulow, 44; Andrea May Major, 44; and LaVoy Linton Eborn, 47. They have been charged with conspiracy to violate the federal laws against illegal wildlife trafficking and multiple specific violations of the same act, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Idaho. All three individuals are from Idaho.
The allegations stem from activities purportedly carried out between December 2021 and February 2022. They are accused of illegally serving as big game guides in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which span southeastern Idaho and western Wyoming.
The indictment states that Kulow, Major, and Eborn were employed by a licensed outfitting company that had permission to operate on federal land in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. However, Idaho law requires that guides can only offer services through licensed outfitters. Allegedly, the three guides began accepting bookings and payments from hunters on their own at the end of 2021, with fees ranging from $6,000 to $6,500 per hunter.
Prosecutors claim that Kulow and Major promoted their illegal operations through social media using the name “Lethal Guides and Outfitters.” Meanwhile, Eborn reportedly issued hunting contracts through another unlicensed entity, “E-N Hunting Services.” The three guides are said to have led clients on illegal mountain lion hunts, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 lions in Idaho and one in Wyoming, including a cougar noted by the Boone and Crockett Club.
Furthermore, the indictment alleges that the trio falsified portions of their big game mortality reports required by Idaho’s fish and game department after these illegal hunts. It states that at least three of the poached mountain lions were transported to Texas without the necessary documentation. Additionally, the harvested animals were allegedly moved across various states, including Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Texas, and North Carolina. Each of these movements violated both state and federal laws, specifically the Lacey Act.
The Lacey Act is a critical piece of legislation that prohibits illegal wildlife trafficking and regulates the movement and trade of wildlife across state lines and internationally. According to Customs and Border Protection, it is illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase any plant or animal product taken or traded in violation of U.S. laws, state laws, or foreign laws.
Kulow and Major were arrested on September 24 and booked with the U.S. Marshals Service in Boise. Eborn was apprehended the following day in Pocatello. All three pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham. Their jury trial is slated to commence on November 18 in federal court in Pocatello.
This article by Trinity Sparke was first published by One Green Planet on 6 October 2024. Image Credit :nwdph/Shutterstock.
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