SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Investigators said today that seven people have been charged with fishing fraud in a South Texas tournament.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game warden Jason Duke said the suspects allegedly submitted a 2.6-pound flounder that was not caught during the contest.
The South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Aug. 10-12 Ladies Kingfish Tournament. Duke said the defendants won a $5,000 second-place prize.
Duke says warrants were served last weekend to four women who entered the tournament and three men. All were arraigned and are free on bond.
The fraud in a fishing tournament charge is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
A message left with the chamber for comment was not immediately returned today.
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