March 24, 2012
By Anne Jungen, LaCrosseTribune.com
Undercover federal agents saw Faling Yang, 42, and Corrie Korn,
43, kill and transport ducks Oct. 9, 2009, when they were operating
a commercial guiding company on the Upper Mississippi River National
Wildlife and Fish Refuge, according to John W. Vaudreuil, U.S.
Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Their
conduct violates state law and the Lacey Act, which protects certain
animals and other wildlife from illegal hunting.
Their
attorneys were not available Friday.
The officers have not
been suspended from the police department, which is doing an
internal investigation, Capt. Jason Melby said.
“We need to
review additional information,” he said.
The officers each
face one year in prison and a $100,000 fine when sentenced May 16.
They each agreed not to hunt or guide hunters for two years and to
pay a $5,000 fine.
Lacey Act prosecutions help ensure that
hunters and non-hunters continue to enjoy the refuge, which is one
of the largest waterfowl gathering place in the world, Vaudreuil
said.
The investigation was handled by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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