Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ROBERT “BOOZIE" COSSE, JR., age 40, from Port Sulphur, and DEAN “DINO" OCKMOND, JR., age 36, of Vacherie, pled guilty today to crimes related to illegal hunting on the Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
The Delta National Wildlife Refuge is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River Delta in lower Plaquemines Parish, southeast of Venice. The Refuge is comprised of 48,000 acres of marsh and wetlands that were set aside in the early 1930’s in order to serve as a refuge and breeding grounds for migratory birds and other wildlife.
After receiving complaints of illegal hunting on the Refuge, Special Agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a months-long investigation and determined that COSSE was illegally maintaining a deer stand and a feeder that expelled corn to attract deer and hogs on a difficult-to-access portion of the Delta National Wildlife Refuge. COSSE and his associates repeatedly hunted with firearms at the illegal feeder on the refuge during the winter of 2015-16.
On Jan. 17, 2016, federal agents observed OCKMOND shoot and kill an 11-point white-tailed buck at the illegal feeder. COSSE and OCKMOND then transported the illegally harvested deer in violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits the transportation or acquisition of wildlife taken in violation of any Federal law or regulation. Both COSSE and OCKMOND pled guilty to one count of violating the Lacey Act.
COSSE pled guilty to 16 misdemeanor counts of violating the Refuge Systems Administration Act related to repeated violations involving: illegal use of a bait to hunt deer or hogs on a refuge; illegal use of a motor vehicle on a refuge; illegal hunting of deer or hogs during a closed season on a refuge; and, the illegal use of a firearm to hunt deer or hogs on a refuge.
COSSE was fined $8,775 and agreed to forfeit to the government a Polaris All-Terrain Vehicle and a John Deere tractor that he was using to illegally traverse the refuge. The Court also placed COSSE on probation for three years, and forbade COSSE from entering any National Wildlife Refuge or engaging in any type of hunting activity during that time.
OCKMOND was fined $2,025 and agreed to forfeit the mounted 11-point buck to the government. The Court also placed OCKMOND on probation for two years, and forbade OCKMOND from entering any National Wildlife Refuge or engaging in any type of hunting activity during that time.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Special Agents from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service office located in Lacombe in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Myles Ranier was in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
