Sport Fishermen Get Jail Time for Cheating in Tournament

The cheating scandal that rocked the Lake Erie Walleye Trail fishing tournament last September is having big consequences. Jacob Runyan and Chase Comnisky, who were caught stuffing fish with lead weights and fillets from other fish, were sentenced to jail on Thursday, May 11.

Runyan, 43, and Cominsky, 36, pleaded guilty to charges of felony cheating and misdemeanor unlawful ownership of wild animals back in March, with additional charges of attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools dropped as part of the plea agreement. Both men will spend 10 days behind bars and serve six months of probation, as well as pay a $2,500 fine that can be halved if they are willing to make a $1,250 charitable donation to a non-profit organization.

Additionally, they must forfeit their boat and trailer to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife and have had their state fishing licenses suspended for three years.

“This plea is the first step in teaching these crooks two basic life lessons,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley at the time of their plea deal. “Thou shall not steal, and crime does not pay.”

Foul play was first suspected when the pair—who up to that point in the season had enjoyed a "curious run of success"—submitted a bucket of walleye that appeared to have weighed around four pounds, but in fact weighed at least seven pounds each. Tournament director Jason Fischer then sliced the fish open, in video footage that quickly went viral, discovering the weights and fillets.

Had their cheating attempt not been exposed, Runyan and Cominsky would have won  $28,760 in pooled prize money.

During their sentencing, both men apologized before the court. "It’s a bad situation and it’s something I wish I could say it didn’t happen," said Cominsky, while Runyan called the incident "the most ignorant decision I’ve ever made in my life."