DES MOINES, IA - On Dec. 21, 2015, Brenton J. Clark, 35, of Fairfield, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to three years of probation for the unlawful transport and receipt of a bear in violation of the Lacey Act announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Conditions of probation imposed by the Court included restrictions against possessing firearms or engaging in guiding, hunting or fishing activities; as well as requirements to complete 120 days of home confinement and 80 hours of community service. Clark was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and a $25 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund.
On June 16, 2015, Clark pled guilty to a Lacey Act violation for his receipt, in September 2010, of a grizzly bear Clark displayed in his hunting lodge in Jefferson County, Iowa. Clark killed the grizzly bear in Alaska without a proper license and without tagging and sealing the bear as required by Alaska law. Clark also admitted after he became aware he was under investigation, he engaged in multiple conversations with potential witnesses and encouraged them to not disclose information to law enforcement.
This investigation was conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
