Two men in Utah recently participating in a fishing tournament where the heaviest five fish would net a top prize of $2,500.
After the first day, the men were in second place, but officials were rather suspicious of the men's haul. They looked completely different than the majority of other bass caught at Lake Powell during the tournament.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Lt. Paul Washburn said, "Some of the largemouth bass they’d turned in had little heads and fatter bodies, indicating a different diet than the fish at Lake Powell, which were more lean. The fish also had red fins, which indicated they had undergone some stress."
The two men were arrested and charged with bribery or threat to influence a contest, a third-degree felony; unlawful release of wildlife, a class A misdemeanor; and unlawful captivity of protected wildlife, a class B misdemeanor. It is illegal to transport live fish to other areas of the state without proper certifications.
The pair face five years in prison, each.