LEWT Tournament Winners BUSTED!



JayKay

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Yes, exactly this. A gentleman's agreement, among friends is one thing. Say, a buck for the first fish, etc. But when you start having people winning large sums of money, or prizes WORTH large sums of money, then yes, it's a crime.

I'm with V. I do fishing, so I say these guys need to be taught a lesson. One fish over the limit, or 50 fish over the limit, you're still over the limit. The burden is on you, to follow the rules. I know everybody has an excuse, but this is not a situation that's excusable. These guys cheated, very much on purpose, to a very effective extent. Had they not gotten caught, they would have accepted prizes worth tens of thousands of dollars.

No different than any other type of theft, in my book.
I will temper what I said yesterday, with this caveat. If you have four guys in a boat, and accidentally end up with 21 fish in the livewell, I could see some leniency. Maybe forfeit the extra fish, or maybe even all of the fish, to teach a lesson.

But these guys were cheating, blatantly - and nobody can convince me that they were cheating this aggressively for the first time. I'd hazard a guess, that they worked their way up to cheating to this extent. Of course, impossible to prove what happened in past situations, but I say they're guilty, and need to be held accountable.
 

JayKay

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Of the charges: cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools, and unlawful ownership of wild animals....Attempted grand theft is the only one that sounds legit to me. Cheating....didn't know that was against the law, and who defines where that line is :)
I would have to say that when the cheating is in pursuit of $$$, then it should be illegal.
That burden should be on the organizers and participants of the tournament and NOT the tax payers. It's their job to put controls in place to make sure their tournament results are legit. If they cannot do that, then don't put on the damn tournament. If others involved in the tournament are too stupid to not participate in and throw their money into a tournament that they suspect has cheaters, then it's their own damn fault for getting essentially scammed. The video has a bunch of guys screaming "I knew it!" Then why were you putting your money into a rigged game dumbass? Come together and demand change or collectively get out.

I don't care if it's the local Elks Club, NWT, MLB, or whatever. It's their responsibility to format rules that prevent cheating. If you don't think those rules are sufficient to stop it, don't participate. Victim culture. Everyone needs daddy government to provide them a safe space.
Where is the personal responsibility in this? I know we can't prove that they cheated in the past, but let's assume that they didn't. Let's assume that this was the first time. You're telling us that it's okay to cheat, because there weren't rules against it. Specifically, it never said that you can't stuff weights down a fishes mouth, so it's okay?

And any of the other competitors shouldn't be able to complain, because:

A) It's the tournament director's responsibility to specifically outlaw all the ways a person could cheat

and

B) If someone found a loophole that wasn't specifically outlawed, then everybody who didn't also cheat, is stupid?
 

Allen

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So there have been a number of people that seem to be quite squeamish on the idea of these guys getting prosecuted, and quite honestly they have good points. Cheating in NASCAR and other sports are clearly an even bigger dollar crime.

My thoughts on that are simple. The District Attorney who reviews this stuff for prosecution has quite the latitude in deciding who is prosecuted and who is not, it's called Prosecutorial Discretion. I surely don't know all the stuff they likely consider in choosing whether or not to prosecute, but I would have to think that the desires of the injured party (in this case the fishing tournament and its members) are given great consideration. Maybe it's just as simple as NASCAR and a lot of the other big dollar sports are not interested in seeing prosecution and just consider cheating a part of the overall game?
 


Allen

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p.s. While overall cheating is cheating. There is something different in my mind about tweaking a tire or carb past the allowed settings to provide an edge when compared to just shoving weights down a fishes minnowhole.
 

Sluggo

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I would have to say that when the cheating is in pursuit of $$$, then it should be illegal.
You might be correct but "right" and "illegal" can be different. It isn't right to cheat on your wife but it isn't illegal. It isn't right to lie but it isn't illegal. It ain't right to blow your leaves on to your neighbors yard but it ain't illegal.
 

JayKay

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You might be correct but "right" and "illegal" can be different. It isn't right to cheat on your wife but it isn't illegal. It isn't right to lie but it isn't illegal. It ain't right to blow your leaves on to your neighbors yard but it ain't illegal.
I agree. Especially about the leaves...

However, none of those things are done in pursuit of money. Cheating at cards, when gambling, is taking dollars away from someone else. Cheating on your taxes is also.

Cheating in a fishing tournament, where there are big dollars at stake, should be illegal, if it's not already.
 

Allen

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You might be correct but "right" and "illegal" can be different. It isn't right to cheat on your wife but it isn't illegal. It isn't right to lie but it isn't illegal. It ain't right to blow your leaves on to your neighbors yard but it ain't illegal.

Are you sure about that? Adultery is currently illegal in 21 states and under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (laws our military members must follow no matter where they are currently). I do know of a couple people prosecuted under the UCMJ when I was in the Corps. Again, it took their spouse to file a complaint and I assume it was usually done to help their cause in an upcoming divorce.

https://opinionfront.com/adultery-laws-in-united-states

And I am going to hazard a guess that there are plenty of places in the country where it is illegal to blow your leaves into the neighbor's yard or out into the street.

Now, actual enforcement of either is quite rare and each locale has their own standard for when to enforce the laws. In particular, the above link has some interesting guidance on when the law is to apply.
 

Sluggo

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Are you sure about that? Adultery is currently illegal in 21 states and under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (laws our military members must follow no matter where they are currently). I do know of a couple people prosecuted under the UCMJ when I was in the Corps. Again, it took their spouse to file a complaint and I assume it was usually done to help their cause in an upcoming divorce.

https://opinionfront.com/adultery-laws-in-united-states

And I am going to hazard a guess that there are plenty of places in the country where it is illegal to blow your leaves into the neighbor's yard or out into the street.

Now, actual enforcement of either is quite rare and each locale has their own standard for when to enforce the laws. In particular, the above link has some interesting guidance on when the law is to apply.
You could be right (and legal). My reply was a little tongue in cheek. No research was involved. :)
 


Allen

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Note, the leaves into the street thing is because they can block storm sewers and create a slippery surface when compared to dry asphalt. Pretty sure there are also laws preventing one from blowing snow out into the street as well.
 

Freedom

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There's some nd law about natives, horses, and covered wagons... doesn't make it right

Edit: may be bullshit but it's always included on strange law lists
 
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MicLee

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E0B79E0E-9298-46B5-B1DF-711596EC4AF5.jpeg
 


svnmag

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Holy hell WJ. That was better. Dark and beautiful Whiskey Music. Thanks.
 

svnmag

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#233 For all those confused: Is it "leeeed" or "led"?
 

Obi-Wan

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You might be correct but "right" and "illegal" can be different. It isn't right to cheat on your wife but it isn't illegal. It isn't right to lie but it isn't illegal. It ain't right to blow your leaves on to your neighbors yard but it ain't illegal.
Sluggo are you sure??? https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/north-dakota/nd-code/north_dakota_code_12-1_20_09 Under North Dakota law, adultery is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison and fines of up to $3,000. An adultery charge must be brought within one year of the time of the offense, and people who disclose information about sexual acts with another person during a divorce, separation or annulment case cannot be prosecuted. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/lo...ration or annulment case cannot be prosecuted.
 


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