Final Poacher Sentenced from 2013 Abalone Sting Operatio

October 29, 2014

After almost a year of court procedures, the last of 18 abalone poachers arrested in a 2013 sting has been sentenced. All 18 suspects were found guilty or pled no contest to the charges.

On Aug. 29, 2013, California wildlife officers simultaneously served 13 search/arrest warrants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento on 18 suspected abalone poachers. The last of the 18, Dung Tri Bui of San Leandro, was recently found guilty in Mendocino County Superior Court after a weeklong jury trial. Bui was convicted of three misdemeanor counts, including take of abalone for commercial use, conspiracy to take abalone for commercial purposes and take of abalone greater than the daily limit. He was sentenced to 36 months summary probation, $15,000 fine and a lifetime ban on fishing (including the take of abalone). Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Daniel Madow presented the case.

In total, $139,883 in fines and 11 fishing license revocations were handed out to the 18 subjects. All of the subjects received summary probation ranging from one to three years. All seized dive gear was ordered forfeited by the court. Mendocino DDAs Heidi Larson and Tim Stoen and support staff also spent a tremendous amount of time on these cases along with numerous staff from the Sacramento District Attorney's office.

"We had excellent support from the respective District Attorney's offices for taking these crimes seriously and prosecuting the poachers to the full extent of the law," said Asst. Chief Brian Naslund of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Law Enforcement Division. "The gear forfeiture, fines and lifetime fishing license revocations for California's worst poaching offenders will hopefully put them out of the poaching business permanently."

Poachers                      Charges            Revoked                Fine                Probation

SF Bay Area
   
    
Khoa Dang Nguyen       5521.5              Life fish/hunt        $15,000          36 months

Chinh Quan Le              5521.5              Life fish/hunt        $15,000          36 months

Hung Vo                        5521.5              Life fish                 $15,000          24 months

Toi Van Nguyen             5521.5              Life fish/hunt        $15,000          24 months

Dung Tri Bui                   5521.5,             Life fish                $15,000          36 months
                                      PC 182,
                                      29.15[c]

Hai Van Ha                     5521.5,             Lifetime               $1,353.50       24 months
                                      PC 182              abalone

Duoc Van Nguyen          5521.5,             Lifetime                $1,353.50      24 months
                                      PC 182             abalone

Andy Phan                     2000/                Lifetime                $1,537           24 months
                                      29.15 [c]           abalone

Charlie Le                      PC 182              No                        $1,420           24 months

Nhan Trung Le               PC 182,             No                        $1,888           24 months
                                      2000/
                                      29.15[c]

Suong Hung Tran           29.15[c]            No                        $1,771           24 months

Chuyen Van Bui             1052[f]              No                        $1,303           24 months

Diep van Nguyen           2000/                No                        $1,537           12 months
                                      29.15[c]

Khoa Ngoc Nguyen        29.16            No                        $1,420           12 months

Sacramento
   
Dung Van Nguyen          5521.5,             Life fish                $15,000         32 mo State prison
                                      PC 115 (a) (F)

Tho Thanh Phan            5521.5               Life fish                $15,000         24 months

Hiep Ho                         5521.5               Life fish                $20,000         26 months

Hung Van Le                 2000,                 No                        $1,303           24 months
                                     29.16(a)

PC 115 Forgery of government documents
PC 182 Conspiracy to commit a crime
F&G Code 5521.5 Unlawful to take abalone for commercial purposes
F&G Code 2000 Unlawful possession of California’s fish and wildlife
F&G Code 1052 Unlawful use of another’s hunting/fishing license
Title 14 – 29.15 abalone overlimit
Title 14 – 29.16 abalone report card violations

WTG! Wow its crazy how all 18 are vietnamese! Bringing a bad name to my people! 

 

Unfortunately, there are bad Apples form any races or communities!

Unfortunately, there are bad Apples form any races or communities!

+1.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

a slap on their wrist is a SLAP ON OUR FACE!   

They ALL should have gotten jail time.
And this should be a FELONY!
I'm tired of seeing poaching of this magnitude being only a misdemeanor. 

WTG! Wow its crazy how all 18 are vietnamese! Bringing a bad name to my people! 

 

I was thinking the same thing, just didn't want to be "the guy" who got stabbed.  Thanks for taking the fall Dan.   

WTG! Wow its crazy how all 18 are vietnamese! Bringing a bad name to my people! 

 

I was thinking the same thing, just didn't want to be "the guy" who got stabbed.   

well we can both be those guys  please dont stab me.

Time to re-elect those DAs , at the very least the court should recover all costs. They should all have got jail time or been deported. They are probably having a party planning their next ab dive.

Good!
It seams the bad apples from different races poach different species, Vietnamese go for the Abs, Russians go for the Sturg, and white boys seem to like the Strippers.

Good!
It seams the bad apples from different races poach different species, Vietnamese go for the Abs, Russians go for the Sturg, and white boys seem to like the Strippers.

I'll take an over limit of strippers any day and I'm no white boy 

Yeah I don't mind taking strippers out of season.

So, time to post up pictures of these guys?

I'd bet we haven't heard the last from these 18 poachers.  Stay vigilant AbWatch!

This will not stop them one bit.  They got away with no jail time so they will do it again.

As for the strippers, I'll take two keepers please, throw back the undersized and oversized.