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The Agents' Own Fish

United States v. Gay-Lord (1986)

Charge: Lacey Act (interstate sale)Court: U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th CircuitState: North CarolinaDocket: The Black Market

Can a dealer be convicted over fish the government itself supplied and carried across the state line for him?

The facts

Undercover wildlife officers posing as suppliers sold a fish dealer striped bass from a lake straddling a state border, where the law forbids taking, buying or selling them. He bought ninety-four pounds one month and three hundred and thirty pounds the next. He resold the fish to a seafood company, which shipped them to markets in three other cities. The officers had carried the fish across the state line.

You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.

Citation: United States v. Gay-Lord, 799 F.2d 124 (4th Cir. 1986)

Read more at courtlistener.com. The source reveals the outcome.

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