Jeffrey J. Dickman of Islamorada, Florida, pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Pocatello, Idaho, to one misdemeanor Lacey Act charge for his role in selling and providing unlicensed outfitting and guiding services, which resulted in the harvest of a mule deer and transportation of the meat and antlers of that deer across state lines, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho announced.

Among other things, the Lacey Act makes it a crime for a person to knowingly transport and acquire wildlife in interstate commerce when, in the exercise of due care, that person should have known that the wildlife had been taken, possessed, and/or transported in violation of state law. It is illegal to kill wildlife with an unlicensed guide or outfitter, even if the hunter himself has a valid hunting license.

At his plea hearing, Mr. Dickman admitted to guiding a mule deer hunt near Soda Springs, Idaho, in October 2008, for a group of hunters who had traveled from Nevada. During the hunt, one of the Nevada hunters killed a mule deer. Mr. Dickman subsequently arranged to have the deer meat transported to the hunters in Nevada. Mr. Dickman performed these services knowing that he did not possess a valid Idaho Guide's license.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mike H. Williams sentenced Dickman to 18 months probation and 60 hours of community service. Mr. Dickman was also ordered to pay $1,200 restitution to the State of Idaho, the value of the deer that was hunted illegally. As a condition of probation, Mr. Dickman is barred from hunting, or accompany anyone hunting, in any of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact States, which include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Idaho Department of Fish and Game.