Mississippi Men Slammed with $117K in Fines for Southern Illinois Poaching Spree

In yet another multi-state and multi-agency investigation, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois has dropped the hammer on a group of Mississippi men after they were found to have poached multiple deer over a number of years. 

The case, which was investigated jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Conservation Police, with support from USFWS Federal Wildlife Officers, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, ended up in court earlier this year and resulted in big fines for five Mississippi men.

According to court documents, between the years of 2018 and 2022, the group planned and executed a sophisticated system of spotting trophy whitetail deer under the cover of darkness, shooting them with the aid of a spotlight and then transporting the animals secretly across state lines. In what is seen as a flagrant disregard for a variety of laws, the group would shoot a number of deer in one single night and once all the bodies were on the ground, they’d later return to retrieve the carcasses. 

The incidents were found to have taken place across southern Illinois as the group would rent hotels, motels and cabins in areas across Massac, Jefferson, Union, Pope and Clark counties. 

“This was not an isolated incident of unlawful hunting; rather, it was a calculated, multi-year operation that exploited Illinois’s prized wildlife resources for personal gain,” said Assistant Director Douglas Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “Targeting trophy deer under the cover of night, across multiple counties, and transporting them across state lines reflects a deliberate disregard for wildlife laws and the ecological balance we work tirelessly to protect. Such organized violations undermine decades of conservation progress and diminish the integrity of fair-chase hunting traditions that responsible hunters value nationwide.”

While the exact number of deer killed has not been released, the announcement indicated that after collecting the carcasses, the men would then transport the animal over state lines from Illinois back to Mississippi where they would harvest and process the deer. According to the report, the poachers would mount the deer’s head, antlers or other parts of its body.

After finally being sentenced in federal court, all but one of the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act. In total, the five men were ordered to pay nearly $120,000 in fines and restitution as follows:

Lee J. Johnson, 54, of Saucier, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution and a $10,000 fine.

Steven J. Pique, 56, of Biloxi, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Gerald B. Moran, 40, of Saucier, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and a $2,500 fine.

Joshua A. Marshall, 30, of Saucier, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution and a $2,500 fine.

John M. Pritchard, 57, of Biloxi, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transport of wildlife in violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine.

All of the above fines will be funneled into the Lacey Act Reward Account through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and all restitution payments are earmarked for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

“This case sends a clear message: wildlife laws are not only about species protection, but they also uphold the principles of fair chase and ethical hunting. The Illinois Conservation Police, in partnership with our dedicated federal agencies, consistently demonstrate professionalism and commitment to enforcing these laws,” said Jed Whitchurch, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Law Enforcement. “The complexity and scale of this case required multiagency coordination, and thanks to that teamwork, we’ve reinforced the stewardship values that define responsible hunting and the importance of natural resources law enforcement.”