Posted on Wed, Apr. 12, 2006
Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - A southwestern Wisconsin man has been charged in
federal court with conspiring to run an illegal hunting operation for
deer and turkeys in a probe that has resulted in charges against nearly
50 hunters across the country.
Richard J. Limmex, of Spring Green, was indicted Tuesday on two
counts accusing him of selling deer worth more than $350 illegally and
moving them across state lines. He could face up to 10 years in prison
and $500,000 in fines if he is convicted.
According to court documents, Limmex and Adam Lee Lawinger, who
pleaded guilty earlier, sold guided deer and turkey hunts to
out-of-state hunters through Lawinger's company, Blue River Outfitters.
The hunts were held on land Lawinger and Limmex owned or leased.
Prosecutors allege that between 2002 and 2005 Limmex and Lawinger
illegally baited deer in chronic wasting disease control zones, where
baiting is prohibited; directed their clients not to kill does in
Earn-A-Buck zones, where hunters must kill antlerless deer before they
can take a buck; repeatedly used female deer carcasses to register
multiple bucks their clients killed; transported and stored deer and
turkeys without proper tags; and allowed their clients to kill turkeys
with a .22 rifle.
They also accuse Limmex of selling an eight-point buck to a
Pennsylvania hunter who had taken the deer in violation of Wisconsin
law.
Lawinger, of Blue River, pleaded guilty in federal court in December
to two charges related to the operation. He was sentenced in March to
two years in prison and ordered to repay the state $73,534. He also was
banned from hunting, fishing or acting as a guide during three years of
supervised release.
Charges have been brought against 46 other hunters in 11 states.
An initial appearance and a plea hearing for Limmex has have been set
for May 5.
His attorney, John Cates, didn't immediately return a message The
Associated Press left at his office Wednesday afternoon.
© 2006 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
