Case library · The Black Market
The Crab That Never Landed
United States v. Potter (2025)
Charge: Lacey Act & false recordsCourt: U.S. District Court, D. AlaskaState: AlaskaDocket: The Black Market
Did directing the boats to carry crab out of state without landing them breach the federal wildlife trading law?
The facts
Crab caught in state waters must be landed at a state port and written up on a fish ticket before it goes anywhere. A dealer told the captains of his two boats to skip both steps and run over 7,000 pounds of live Tanner and golden king crab straight to a distant market for a better price. Other fishermen warned him that some of the Tanner crab carried a fatal parasite.
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. Potter (D. Alaska 2025)
Read more at justice.gov. The source reveals the outcome.