Summer 2016
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE And US FISH & WILDLIFE Team Up In ALASKA
HUNTING SHOW HOST IMPRISONED IN NOATAK NATIONAL PRESERVE POACHING INVESTIGATION
U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a cable TV hunting show host was sentenced in Anchorage United States District Court to 16 months imprisonment for his role as a leader and guide in a multi-year poaching operation on the Noatak National Preserve.
ON February 11, 2016, Syndicate TV hunting show host Clark Dixon, 41, of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline, for two felony violations of the Lacey Act.
As part of his plea agreement with the United States, Clark Dixon admitted to large scale violations of federal and state hunting laws including hunting and taking game same day airborne, hunting big game as a non-resident without a guide, hunting without the proper non-resident tags and permits, and the illegal transporting and outfitting of non-resident hunters in the illegal pursuit and take of game on the Noatak Preserve from 2008 through 2013.
As part of the plea agreement and sentence, Judge Beistline ordered that Clark Dixon pay a fine of $75,000, and forfeit 17 animals killed and turned into trophies while falsely claiming to be a resident of the state of Alaska. These included a grizzly bear, Dall sheep, moose and caribou, along with bows and several rifles used in the illegal take of game.
As part of his plea of guilty, Clark Dixon agreed that in 2010 he assisted Clarence Michael Osborne in the illegal take of a grizzly bear, by hunting same day airborne, without a guide or proper permits. The agreement also states that Clark Dixon falsified a hunt record claiming the bear was killed by his father, Charles Dixon. The plea agreement also covers the allegation that at the time the violations were committed, Clark Dixon illegally claimed Alaska residency status while being a resident of the state of Mississippi. The charges against Clark Dixon reflect that he lied about his residency status in order to take advantage of Alaska resident hunting privileges, thus nullifying all of his Alaska hunts which resulted in the forfeiture of the 17 trophies and firearms. Clark Dixon also agreed to the forfeiture of a STOL Quest SQ-4 aircraft used by his father, Charles Dixon, which was instrumental in assisting Clark Dixon in transporting and outfitting non-resident hunters in the illegal take of game. That aircraft has since been forfeited to the United States.