11-16-2010, 08:10 PM
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) arrested a St. Bernard Parish man on Nov. 15 for allegedly falsifying commercial fishing catch information submitted to the department.
Glenn J. Cascio Jr., 30, of Arabi, allegedly falsified 16 trip ticket documents dated from Jan. 1, 2010 through May 3, 2010 in order to file a claim with BP America due to the Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Cascio was charged with three felonies for filing false public records, injuring public records and theft by fraud and was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. The trip tickets were filed with LDWF and represented 43,264 pounds of crab at a value of $38,570. According to the arrest warrant, Cascio stated that he received a total of $10,000 from BP America.
SIU agents, Lt. Jay Diez and Senior Agent Edward Ridgel, met with Cascio on Nov. 6 after receiving a complaint from the department's trip ticket section that Cascio did not possess a commercial fishing license during the timeframe specified on the trip tickets. According to the arrest warrant, Cascio admitted to not catching or selling any crab from Jan. 1 to May 3 and that he falsified the trip ticket information in order to file a claim with BP America.
If convicted, Cascio faces fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail with or without hard labor for each charge of falsifying and injuring public records. For the fraud charge, Cascio faces a fine up to $3,000 and up to 10 years in jail with or without hard labor.
LDWF routinely reviews every trip ticket received from the commercial fishing industry to ensure that the most accurate data are collected and properly reflect the important role the state of Louisiana plays in the production of seafood and the management of the state's seafood resources.
"We want to ensure our commercial fishermen and dealers are compensated fairly by using accurate trip ticket information," said Col. Winton Vidrine, head of LDWF's Enforcement Division. "We do not want to see commercial fishermen or dealers tempted to commit felony violations by falsifying trip ticket documents, which can damage the basis of having the best scientific information available to manage the seafood resources."
This is the fifth arrest made by LDWF agents in connection with allegedly falsifying commercial fishing information to receive compensations from BP America since August.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.la.gov.
Glenn J. Cascio Jr., 30, of Arabi, allegedly falsified 16 trip ticket documents dated from Jan. 1, 2010 through May 3, 2010 in order to file a claim with BP America due to the Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Cascio was charged with three felonies for filing false public records, injuring public records and theft by fraud and was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. The trip tickets were filed with LDWF and represented 43,264 pounds of crab at a value of $38,570. According to the arrest warrant, Cascio stated that he received a total of $10,000 from BP America.
SIU agents, Lt. Jay Diez and Senior Agent Edward Ridgel, met with Cascio on Nov. 6 after receiving a complaint from the department's trip ticket section that Cascio did not possess a commercial fishing license during the timeframe specified on the trip tickets. According to the arrest warrant, Cascio admitted to not catching or selling any crab from Jan. 1 to May 3 and that he falsified the trip ticket information in order to file a claim with BP America.
If convicted, Cascio faces fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail with or without hard labor for each charge of falsifying and injuring public records. For the fraud charge, Cascio faces a fine up to $3,000 and up to 10 years in jail with or without hard labor.
LDWF routinely reviews every trip ticket received from the commercial fishing industry to ensure that the most accurate data are collected and properly reflect the important role the state of Louisiana plays in the production of seafood and the management of the state's seafood resources.
"We want to ensure our commercial fishermen and dealers are compensated fairly by using accurate trip ticket information," said Col. Winton Vidrine, head of LDWF's Enforcement Division. "We do not want to see commercial fishermen or dealers tempted to commit felony violations by falsifying trip ticket documents, which can damage the basis of having the best scientific information available to manage the seafood resources."
This is the fifth arrest made by LDWF agents in connection with allegedly falsifying commercial fishing information to receive compensations from BP America since August.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.la.gov.