Mississippi Man Sentenced for Illegally Transporting Deer

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Southeast Region announces the following:

On July 19, 2007, James (Jimmy) Donahoo of Belzoni, Miss. was

sentenced to a three-year probationary term and a $5,000 fine by Senior

United States District Judge Glen Davidson after pleading guilty to a

felony count of purchasing and transporting whitetail deer in interstate

commerce in violation of the Lacey Act.

In addition, Judge Davidson ordered that Donahoo would pay the

costs of administering the probation, which amounts to $287.50 per month

for the three-year period. Finally, because the crime to which Donahoo

pled guilty was a felony, Donahoo will no longer be able to possess a

firearm.

“Your hunting days are over,” Judge Davidson told Donahoo during

the sentencing. “And you are at fault for that.”

Jimmy Donahoo’s nephew, Shea Donahoo, pled guilty to a misdemeanor

violation of the Lacey Act and was sentenced to a two-year probationary

term. Shea Donahoo was also ordered to pay the costs of administering

the probation, $287.50 per month for the two-year term.

The case was investigated by Special Agents with the United

States Fish and Wildlife Service and Agents with the Mississippi

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and was prosecuted by Dave

Sanders with the United States Attorney’s Office.

The state of Mississippi considers the importation of deer from

other states a serious violation,said Johnny Collins, Director of

Special Operations for Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and

Parks. “Unlawful importation of wild animals into Mississippi from

other states is a violation of both state and federal laws.”

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Park worked with

the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate these

violations and will continue to closely monitor these types of

violations.

“The importation of white-tailed deer into the state of

Mississippi is a serious concern,” said Robert T. Oliveri, Resident

Agent-In-Charge of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. “The United

States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement will continue

to assist states when investigating these types of cases.”

BACKGROUND

The case originated over two years ago when local citizens began

reporting seemingly docile whitetail deer with tags in their ears on

Donahoo’s property. Donahoo owned approximately 1,000 acres in

Humphreys County, Mississippi. Surrounding that property was an

eight-foot high “game fence” that effectively confined whitetail deer

within the enclosure. The subsequent investigation eventually uncovered

that Donahoo was purchasing live whitetail deer from various breeders

located in southern Louisiana and was having them transported to

Humphreys County, Mississippi. Donahoo paid breeders for these

whitetail deer with checks written to various businesses including one

breeder’s seafood business. That check drafted on the Donahoo Fish

Farms account, signed by Jimmy Donahoo, and dated November 16, 2004 was

for $6,400. Donahoo wrote on the check that it was payment for

“fingerlings” when, in fact, it was for whitetail deer. After agreeing

on which deer Donahoo would purchase, the deer were transported across

the state line in a trailer. Donahoo told an informant working for the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service that the breeder would bring the

deer at night in a black trailer, and the trailer had an automatic

hitch. Donahoo stated that had the breeder been stopped by the

authorities on the highway, he would have been able to “release” the

trailer and there would be “deer all over the ... highway.”

Jimmy Donahoo, along with his nephew Shea Donahoo would then

unload the deer inside the fenced enclosure owned and operated by Jimmy

Donahoo who planned eventually to raise a herd and sell hunts within the

enclosure. Donahoo told the informant that he could dart a deer and

measure its antlers, and if the antlers were big enough, he could sell

hunts for as much as $20,000.

Jimmy Donahoo planned to tell authorities if investigated that

the deer inside the enclosure were not brought from out of state, but

were deer caught inside the fence when it was put in place. Because

passers-by were reporting that deer inside the pen had tags in their

ears, Donahoo’s plan was to tell the authorities, if asked, that they

had simply darted the deer within the enclosure and tagged the deer at

that time.