A St. Mary’s man will spend three years in federal prison and repay more than $64,000 after fraudulently posing as a licensed big game guide and cheating nearly 40 hunters.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A St. Mary’s man will spend three years in federal prison and repay more than $64,000 after fraudulently posing as a licensed big game guide and cheating nearly 40 hunters.
According to court documents, in October 2021, 36-year-old Michael Beans began openly advertising guide-outfitter and transporter services for bull moose hunting seasons. Alaska had never licensed Beans as a big game guide, outfitter, or transporter. According to prosecutors, Beans contacted prospective hunters by text, phone or social media messaging platforms, and promised discounts to hunters who paid upfront, sometimes months before the hunt.
Between October 2021 and December 2022, Beans fraudulently collected more than $59,000 in deposits, advanced payments and other funds from roughly 37 non-Alaska resident hunters for guide-outfitted and/or big game transporter services for bull moose hunts when not licensed to do so by the state of Alaska. On Sept. 1, 2022, the first group of hunters arrived in St. Mary’s from across the country. He canceled every contracted hunt, never meeting a single hunter face-to-face, according to the DOJ.
From Sept. 19 to Sept. 24, 2022, three hunters arrived in St. Mary’s to hunt with Beans. Beans tried to cancel, but the hunters tracked him down. He took them out anyway and helped the hunters kill three bull moose. In April 2023, he was arrested and charged with two felony counts for violations of the Lacey Act and 19 felony counts for wire fraud in connection with the sale of the illegal moose hunts.
On Oct. 1, 2024, Beans pleaded guilty to one count of Lacey Act violations and one count of wire fraud. In handing down the sentence, the judge ordered Beans to serve three years on supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. Beans is also required to pay $64,110 in restitution that will be broken out to each victim in this case.
“Mr. Beans egregiously exploited unsuspecting hunters and orchestrated a hunt that resulted in the illegal killing of three bull moose,” U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska said. “His actions not only violate the law but are also an affront to the law-abiding guide-outfitters who respect Alaska’s wildlife community.
My office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners statewide to ensure that the regulations governing hunting in Alaska are enforced and upheld, and those who flagrantly violate them are brought to justice. ”Man accused of plowing into popular downtown Anchorage restaurant arrested, faces arraignmentFamily of Anchorage woman who died of hypothermia breaks silence, as 911 consultant says help was too slowTrump, Air Force One, land in Anchorage on way to China summitEasyPark offers more 2-hour parking options in downtown AnchorageAnchorage commuters ditch vehicles for bikes on annual Bike to Work Day
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