(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A boat owner from Michigan has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for illegally operating a charter boat on the Chicago River and in Lake Michigan, federal authorities said.
Christopher Mike Garbowski's charter boat outings allegedly included taking paying customers on his 40-foot powerboat to the “Playpen,” the infamous stretch of lake south of Oak Street Beach. His groups of passengers reportedly included bachelorette parties.
The 37-year-old Garbowski -– also known as Michael Gunnman -- did not have the proper credentials but claimed he did time after time when authorities confronted him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said.
In 2017, for example, when Garbowski scheduled a five-hour tour and the Coast Guard boarded his boat before launch, prosecutors say he texted a passenger as she was walking on the dock to tell her to lie to authorities and say she and Garbowski were friends.
The Sterling Heights, Michigan man’s boat was called “Sea Hawk” and “Anchorman,” officials said.
Garbowski pleaded guilty earlier this year to a felony charge of violating an order of the Captain of the Port. His sentence, handed down this week, is a year and a day in federal prison.
“The Coast Guard regulations are designed to ensure the safety of passengers, crew members, and other vessels and individuals in the waterways,” Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual said in a prepared statement. “Our office will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly violate maritime laws and regulations.”
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