Trump pardons two divers convicted for releasing 19 sharks off the coast of Florida | EUROtoday

Donald Trump has pardoned two shark divers from South Florida who have been convicted of theft for releasing 19 sharks and an enormous grouper from a fisherman’s longline.

Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr. obtained the pardons on Wednesday after being convicted in 2022 of theft of property inside particular maritime jurisdiction.

The two males prevented jail time, however have been ordered to pay $3,343.72 in restitution. The felony convictions prevented them from voting in Florida, proudly owning firearms, and touring freely exterior the U.S.

“This case never should have been filed,” Mansell’s legal professional, Ian Goldstein, mentioned in a press release. “These gentlemen made an honest mistake and were trying to save sharks from what they believed to be an illegal longline fishing setup. I can’t think of two individuals more deserving of a Presidential Pardon.”

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According to courtroom data, Moore, who was captain of a shark-diving constitution boat, and Mansell, a crew member, noticed the longline about 3 miles off the Jupiter Inlet in August 2020.

Believing it was an unlawful fishing line, the boys freed the sharks and grouper, reported it to state wildlife officers, and introduced the road again to shore.

Federal prosecutors later charged the boys with theft, stating that the road belonged to a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to catch sharks for analysis.

Mansell and Moore have been convicted by a jury, and their appeals have been later denied. The full and unconditional pardons signed by Trump erase these convictions.

“We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed,” Moore’s legal professional, Marc Seitles, mentioned in a press release. “We are thrilled the White House considered our arguments and determined this was an unjust prosecution. We could not be happier for John and Tanner.”

The pardon for the divers comes as President Trump delivers a sequence of different pardons. Since the start of his second time period, they’re understood to complete 40, earlier than the 1,600 pardons for these charged or convicted in reference to the 6 January 2021 US Capitol riot.

Mansell and Moore have been two of at the very least eight pardons delivered in latest weeks. Alongside them, commuted the federal jail sentence of Larry Hoover, founding father of a Chicago road gang.