A Kodiak fisherman, Corey Potter, has been sentenced to one year in prison and two years of supervised release for orchestrating the illegal transport of crab from Alaska to Washington. The plan involved two crab catcher vessels under his ownership, operated by co-defendants Kyle Potter and Justin Welch. The operation violated the Lacey Act.
In early 2024, Corey Potter directed the harvesting of Tanner and golden king crab in Southeast Alaska. He instructed Kyle Potter and Welch to transport the live crabs to Seattle for higher market prices without landing or reporting them in Alaska as required by law. At that time, one vessel carried over 4,200 pounds of Tanner crab, some infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), while the other had over 2,900 pounds of golden king crab.
Despite warnings from fellow fishermen about BCS risks, Corey Potter proceeded with the plan. During the journey to Washington, a significant portion of the king crab died and was deemed unmarketable. The contaminated Tanner crabs were handed over to Washington authorities for disposal.
Law enforcement intervened in March 2024 when a search warrant was executed on Welch's vessel. Text messages detailing their plans were deleted by Corey and Kyle Potter before their phones were seized.
Corey Potter pleaded guilty on February 7, 2025, to two felony counts under the Lacey Act. His sentence includes a worldwide commercial fishing ban during his supervised release period. U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman emphasized the impact of Corey's actions on Alaska's fishing industry and reiterated commitment to prosecuting such violations.
Assistant Director Benjamin Cheeseman from NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement highlighted that this case underscores serious consequences for rule-breakers within Alaska’s fisheries management framework.
Co-defendant Kyle Potter received five years' probation with a global fishing ban and a $20,000 fine in July 2024. Justin Welch was sentenced in June 2024 to three years' probation and fined $10,000.
The investigation was conducted by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey.