US Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska
A federal judge has come down on a pair of Wasilla men who had previously decided that the guiding game was just a bit too regulated for their blood. According to the US Attorney’s Office, Theodore Michael Turgeon, 29, and his business partner Charles Ernest Emmi, 29, figured they’d skip the suffocating stack of state licenses, charging clients real money for illegal hunts while literally flipping the state of Alaska the bird.
The case comes on the heels of another recent sentencing involving a St. Mary’s man who posed as a licensed outfitter and scammed nearly 40 hunters out of more than $59,000.
Court documents revealed that the pair of budding entrepreneurs kicked off their venture in March of 2021 under the name “The Rock Outfitters LLC,” without the required Alaska big game guide-outfitter license. Their initial attempt to operate legally failed when Turgeon’s application for a transporter license was denied due to his prior 2018 federal conviction for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act by harassing and killing Steller sea lions.
Undeterred, the pair rebranded as “The Rock Kodiak,” with Emmi applying for the transporter license while omitting Turgeon’s name from ownership records. The license was approved in June 2022 and the two men used their jointly owned vessel, the M/V Sound Choice, as the base for their illegal guiding services.
US Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska
The illegal hunts went down in two clean, paid gigs.
In November 2022 out of Kodiak, the pair charged a four-person group $16,000 for waterfowl and Sitka black-tailed deer hunts. Turgeon went full guide mode, loaning out his personal rifle, sighting in the scope, spotting deer for the clients, and helping quarter and pack the animals out. They filed a creatively incomplete transporter report that conveniently omitted two clients and lowballed the harvest. One happy Texan even hauled meat and parts home.
Then in May 2024 near Cordova, they pulled in $13,500 from three hunters chasing black bears. From the deck of the Sound Choice they spotted the animals and directed the action, allowing all three clients to tag out. During that trip Turgeon allegedly looked his customers in the eye and said he was guiding illegally, punctuating it with a colorful “fuck the State of Alaska’s regulations.”
“Mr. Turgeon expressed complete disdain and blatantly disregarded the laws protecting our natural resources,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Guide outfitting is an important part of Alaska’s outdoor community and ensuring it is done lawfully to protect future resources is paramount. This case should serve as a reminder that committing Lacey Act violations in Alaska could result in federal criminal convictions and hefty penalties.”
US Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska
After entering pleas back in December, the two men were in court for sentencing on Wednesday of last week. Theodore Michael Turgeon was sentenced to six months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $20,000 fine after pleading guilty to four felony counts of violating the Lacey Act. His business partner, Charles Ernest Emmi, received four years of federal probation, a $30,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to four misdemeanor counts of the same law.
Additionally, both men must forfeit approximately $14,983 in lieu of the U.S. government seizing the M/V Sound Choice, along with the rifle and scope used in the 2022 hunt. The two men were also handed worldwide hunting and fishing bans and are prohibited from obtaining transporter or guide licenses during their supervised release or probation periods.
“The Lacey Act is critical to protecting America's wildlife resources from exploitation and depletion,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “Illegal guided hunts threaten Alaska's natural resources and disadvantage ethical hunters and guides who operate lawfully. This sentencing sends a clear message that those who violate federal wildlife laws will be held accountable.”
