Inset: Duby and (one of his) previous lawyers
A long-time commercial fisherman from Alaska, who’s spent a quarter-century thumbing his nose at every regulation the state ever printed, just got nailed by a Juneau jury earlier this month. Michael Duby, a 51-year-old former guide and serial rule breaker, was found guilty on eight criminal charges related to his black-market fishing racket known as Genesis Foods.
The verdict landed on January 9th, at Juneau’s Dimond Courthouse, where Duby—after burning through three lawyers—decided to play his own defense before Superior Court Judge Larry Woolford. Fortunately, the jury didn’t buy it and he was soon found guilty on all eight charges against him which included three Class C felonies for falsifying critical ADF&G fish tickets to hide illegal hauls and sales, one for illegally possessing a concealable firearm at home as a prior felon, and four misdemeanors covering everything from selling personal-use fish commercially to reckless endangerment via toxin-untested clams (including paralytic shellfish poisoning, specifically, which is no joke). His wife Esther, who just so happens to be a state fish and game operations manager was charged as an accomplice, but managed to walk free on every count.
And while eight criminal charges is certainly a way to make a name for yourself, to say that Duby was previously known by state officials, would be an understatement.
No, this wasn’t a first-time slip-up by some hapless victim of obscure rules and regulations. Duby’s rap sheet displays a documented pattern of offenses, starting in 2002 with a conviction in Washington state for unlawfully hunting game birds. In 2012, he received a federal conviction for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by killing and selling protected black-billed magpies (following a multi-year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service probe); he was sentenced to five years' probation, a $2,500 fine, 250 hours of community service, and a five-year revocation of hunting/fishing privileges.
On the same day, an Alaska state court convicted him of six misdemeanors, including illegal black bear bait station, unlawful game transport, false license application, sport fish guide violations, and falsifying reports, resulting in nine months in prison and nearly $44,000 in fines—one of the harshest penalties in state history for such violations. Despite his award-winning showing, his pattern of offenses continued in 2018, when he pled guilty in Sitka to unlawful retention of undersized king salmon, plus related logbook and bycatch falsification issues.
The man went as far as to refer to fishing his passion during interviews conducted during the trial, claiming he pored over regs like scripture. Unfortunately for Duby, the evidence, which included over 1,400 hours of home surveillance video, warrant-searched phones and records, instead painted the picture of a guy who kept bending the rules until they snapped.
“It appears from his history and his record that he’s somebody who is just unable to stop violating fish and game crimes,” Alaska prosecutor Andrew Peterson said during his 2012 sentencing hearing.
The legal battle has reportedly taken a heavy toll on his family, including a now school-aged son. Esther Duby called the ordeal “horrible... overwhelming for our family,” while Michael said it “pretty much cost me everything that I had.” He has worked snow removal and handyman jobs amid the proceedings.
Prosecutors from the Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions handled the case and sentencing is now scheduled for May 15, 2026.
