Alleged Fla. Lobster Poacher Freed on $1M Bond
A commercial fisherman arrested in what is believed to be the largest lobster-poaching case ever pursued in the Florida Keys has been freed after posting $1 million bail—far more than the $150,000 that the prosecution had sought.
David Dreifort, 41, was arrested Wednesday—the first day of lobster season—after federal law enforcement officials say they found and confiscated 6,000 lobster tails in freezers under his million-dollar home in the lower Florida Keys, reports the Palm Beach Post. He has been charged with catching a small portion of the lobsters that were found out of season.
Dreifort reportedly may have caught at least some of the crustaceans in illegal underwater “lobster condos”—cinder-block structures he is claimed to have built in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, among “thousands” of such structures that a fishing colleague says Dreifort created during the past 20 years in various locations.
Dreifort was released yesterday after posting $1 million bond, the newspaper reports. He did not return a phone message.
If convicted in federal court, he could be sentenced to as much as five years in prison, fined and be required to forfeit his boats and other equipment used in his lobster-catching operation.
