Diver convicted of freeing sharks off Florida coast says he was surprised by presidential pardon

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A vessel skipper convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks from a fisherman’s longline disconnected Florida says helium felt similar helium was surviving successful an alternate beingness for the past 5 years

MIAMI -- A shark-diving charter vessel skipper convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks and a elephantine grouper from a fisherman’s longline disconnected the seashore of Florida says he's felt similar helium was surviving successful an alternate beingness for the past 5 years. That changed past week erstwhile helium received a presidential pardon.

“This is thing I ne'er thought I’d hold,” John Moore Jr. said Tuesday, arsenic helium showed disconnected the papers with U.S. President Donald Trump's signature scrawled crossed the bottom.

Moore and unit subordinate Tanner Mansell were convicted successful 2022 of theft of spot wrong peculiar maritime jurisdiction. The 2 men avoided situation clip but were ordered to wage $3,343.72 successful restitution. The felony convictions prevented them from voting successful Florida, owning firearms oregon traveling freely extracurricular the U.S.

Moore said helium and his attorneys were amazed by the pardon, due to the fact that they hadn't petitioned for one.

“We didn’t scope retired to the White House,” Moore said. “We ne'er approached them for a pardon, due to the fact that that was benignant of skipping steps, similar we had really filed the paperwork to instrumentality this to the Supreme Court.”

Moore and Mansell spotted the longline astir 3 miles (5 kilometers) disconnected the Jupiter Inlet successful August 2020, according to tribunal records. Believing it was an amerciable sportfishing line, the men freed the sharks and a grouper, reported it to authorities wildlife officials and brought the enactment backmost to shore.

Federal prosecutors aboriginal charged the men with theft. Officials said the enactment belonged to a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to drawback sharks for research.

Mansell and Moore were convicted by a jury, and their appeals were aboriginal denied. The afloat and unconditional pardons signed by Trump erase those convictions.

“Would I person done thing different, present that I cognize that that was a ineligible line?” Moore asked. “I was a commercialized fisherman. I would ne'er interaction a ineligible line. But present I cognize much astir this, that those things tin exist.”