NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A charter boat operator has pleaded guilty to federal charges of trafficking in illegally harvested striped bass.
William W. Lowery IV is scheduled to be sentenced May 9. His plea agreement calls for a 30-day jail sentence, a $5,000 fine and $1,300 in restitution to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He also agreed to surrender his captain's license for life and not engage in the charter fishing industry during a supervision period after he's released.
The 44-year-old Tappahannock resident entered his plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.
According to court documents, Lowery took a charter fishing trip into an area that's off limits to striped bass on Jan. 15, 2010.
