Attorney General James Uthmeier
In an announcement from Florida’s Panhandle yesterday, authorities say they’ve pressed charges against 10 people in what was a multi-year undercover operation built on illegal reef fish, off-the-books sales, and protected sea turtles sold to officers.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the charges in Carrabelle alongside the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local law enforcement. The case, aptly named Operation Stolen Waters, kicked off back in May of 2022 after complaints about reef-fish poaching out in the Gulf. Investigators say one of the suspects first approached them offering to sell illegally caught fish, triggering undercover work that continued from there.
According to the Office of Statewide Prosecution and Florida’s FWC, the group routinely took far more red snapper and gag grouper than the limits allowed, all while dodging reporting rules by selling dockside at night, out of homes, or through handoffs on the water. Authorities pegged the illegal harvest at about 23,000 pounds of fish and valued the illegal sales of fish, shrimp, and turtles at nearly $180,000.
“We plan to leave Florida better to God than how we found it, and poachers abusing our natural resources will be prosecuted to the fullest extent,” said Uthmeier. “Those who abuse our waters and wildlife will find out how tough our laws are. The Office of Statewide Prosecution, FWC, and our local law enforcement officers will ensure criminals are caught and punished.”
Outside of scaled and finned game, Terry Stephen Carrington Jr., 40, of Port St. Joe; Anthony Emmett Folsom, 22, of Carrabelle; and Jordan Neylan, 31, of Apalachicola are accused of going after heavily-protected sea turtles and illegally selling them (three adults and two hatchlings) to undercover officers. And while the five turtles were later released by FWC officers, turtle possession or sale charges also appear against David Eugene Echterling, 60, and Steven Hawley, 68, both of Eastpoint, and Curtis Randolph Morse, 45, of Gibsonton.
All 10 of the defendants are facing racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and cheating, while a few others are also up against unlawful use of a two-way communication device charges. The remaining suspects charged are Kayla Ann Boak, 36, of Bradenton; Robert Register, 40, of Carrabelle; Joe Frank Tessa III, 44, of Largo; and Casey Lee Whitlock II, 20, of Crawfordville. If convicted as charged, prosecutors say the maximum sentences could run from between 65 to 75 years behind bars, with Carrington, Folsom, and Neylan residing at the top of that range.
All of the suspects are currently being processed through the legal system following the multi-year undercover probe. At this point no arraignments or formal court appearances have been announced and given the severity of the racketeering charges alone, it’s safe to expect pre-trial motions and scheduling to take several months to materialize.
“Florida’s fisheries belong to all of us, and the rules exist to protect these resources and the fishermen who play by them,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “I’m proud of the hard work and dedication of our undercover officers over the past four years. We need thorough enforcement, accurate reporting, and accountability to ensure Florida’s fisheries remain healthy and sustainable for everyone.”
