Facing charges for orchestrating an extensive illegal hunting operation that violated not only local wildlife laws but also included Lacey Act violations, a 56-year-old hunting outfitter has officially faced the music. Timothy Rawlings of Laveen, Arizona was up against a laundry list of charges that included (but was not limited to) illegal outfitting, shooting from vehicles and hunting in unlicensed and unpermitted lands in a scandal that has since resulted in jail time for the disgraced outfitter.
The probe began when Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers got wind of Rawlings' activities in Colorado, where he was providing outfitting services through his company Old West Guides and Outfitters. According to reports he had facilitated illegal hunts over several years for paying clients targeting big game species such as mountain lions, deer, elk, and bears.
It didn’t take long for investigators to determine that Rawlings was operating in Colorado without a required license, prompting CPW to collaborate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. After inserting undercover agents into the mix, Rawlings proceeded to unknowingly guide CPW agents on an illegal hunt, committing violations directly in their presence and providing just about as much evidence as they needed to string him up.
Investigators noted that his actions not only broke state hunting laws but also involved the unlawful take, transport, and sale of wildlife across state lines for financial gain, triggering federal Lacey Act charges.
“For several years, Rawlings and his associates systematically violated Colorado’s hunting and guiding regulations, orchestrating illegal hunts, and facilitating the unlawful take, transport, and sale of big game across state lines for monetary financial gain,” Douglas Ault, assistant director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement said. “Their actions stripped wildlife from our landscapes and betrayed the foundational principles of ethical hunting.”
His violations were later described as "numerous and severe" by authorities, and included: illegal outfitting and guiding without proper licenses, brokering of landowner vouchers unlawfully, shooting animals from vehicles, chasing wildlife with vehicles, hunting on unlicensed and unpermitted lands, and failing to register harvested animals, such as mountain lions, as required by Colorado regulations.
In the end, Rawlings pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and one substantive Lacey Act violation. His co-defendant, Howard Wayne Rodarmel, 71, from Baca County, Colorado, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Lacey Act violation for his role in the operation.
On July 31st, U.S. District Judge Regina M. Rodriguez handed down Rawlings' sentence, which included 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and $45,800 in restitution. Rodarmel received a lighter penalty which included three years of probation, $9,164 in restitution, and a $2,000 fine.
“This case is a shining example of multiple agencies working together towards common law enforcement goals”, said Ty Petersburg, CPW’s Chief of Law Enforcement. “CPW was proud to be a part of bringing down a prolific wildlife poacher, and working hand in hand with Special Agents of the USFWS. It’s the successful collaboration between CPW Officers and Investigators, Special Agents, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office that resulted in the prosecution of this case. The health of our wildlife populations is based on a legacy of ethical hunting, so people who hunt unlawfully have a negative impact on our natural resources. Our Wildlife Officers are very committed to catching violators and protecting those resources.”
