A fishing tournament in Texas was shrouded in controversy Monday due to a possible cheating scandal. The Texas Game Wardens were contacted after a fisherman was accused of tampering with a bass ahead of a weigh-in.
After performing a necropsy on the fish, Texas Game Wardens found three weights in the fish's stomach, they explained in a Facebook post.
The weights did not show signs of erosion, suggesting they had been placed in the fish recently. Additionally, Texas Game Wardens reportedly found similar weights of the same style and size in the angler's boat.
That angler, Curtis Lee Daniels, was arrested and charged with "fraud in fishing tournaments." That particular crime is considered a felony since, in this instance, Daniels is alleged to have violated the law during a tournament in which the prizes exceed $10,000.
According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department code, altering the weight of a fish "for the purpose of representing that the fish as entered in the tournament was that length or weight when caught" is a violation of the law.
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While there are some instances in which that violation can result in a misdemeanor, the nature of Daniels' alleged crime constitutes a third-degree felony charge, per Texas Parks & Wildlife Department code.
An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, except that if the offense occurred during a tournament in which any prize or combination of prizes to be awarded for any one category for which an award is given, whether the prize or prizes are to an individual or a team, is worth $10,000 or more in money or goods, the offense is a felony of the third degree.
This particular tournament, the Lake Fork Lure Co. Tournament, features over $10,000 in prizes, making Daniels' alleged violation a felony.
In the Lake Fork Lure Co. Tournament rulebook, organizers explicitly mention that any person who attempts to artificially alter a fish's weight "will be subject to prosecution under federal laws."
As part of the tournament, contestants also agree to submit to a random polygraph examination. It's unclear whether Daniels took part in that exam or if it played a role in the scandal.
If found guilty, Daniels could face two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 under Texas law.
It's far from the first time a fishing tournament has been rocked by aweight-related cheating scandal. Thesame thing happened in Ohioin 2022, where two fishermen were charged with felonies. They were eventually sentenced to "10 days local incarceration," had their fishing license suspended and were forced togive up the boat used in the tournament.
