Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement agents cited five subjects for alleged crabbing and trip ticket violations on April 16 in Cameron Parish.

Agents cited the following:

Selema Frank, 53, of Grand Chenier, for injuring public records, filing false public records, criminal conspiracy and failing to maintain records.

Wendy Hill, 43, of Bell City, for criminal conspiracy.

Edward Naquin, 61, of Grand Chenier, for failing to complete trip tickets and criminal conspiracy.

Angela LaBove, 50, of Bell City, for injuring public records, criminal conspiracy and filing false public records.

Francis Theriot, 60, of Lake Charles, for failing to complete trip tickets, criminal conspiracy and injuring public records.

Agents started a lengthy investigation after learning that Naquin and Theriot were selling crabs to a Grand Chenier dock with falsified trip tickets. The dock and the commercial fishermen were working together to falsify the trip ticket information by putting them in other people’s names than the actual person harvesting the crabs.

Throughout the course of the investigation, agents discovered a total of 125 falsified trip tickets that contained 175 falsified daily transactions and 59,834 pounds of illegally documented crabs.

Trip ticket requirements state that when a commercial fisherman sells their catch to a wholesale/seafood dealer, he or she must provide accurate information and the dealer must verify their identity. The commercial fisherman and dealer then sign the trip ticket with one copy going to the commercial fisherman, another copy going to the dealer and the another copy going to LDWF.

Failing to complete trip tickets and failing to maintain records brings a $250 to $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail for each offense. Injuring public records and filing false public records carries up to a $5,000 fine and five years in jail for each offense. Criminal conspiracy brings fines and imprisonment in the same manner as the offense contemplated by the conspirators.

Agents involved with the case are Lt. Stuart Guillory and Lt. Beau Robertson.