Two divers convicted for freeing 19 sharks off the coast of Florida pardoned by Trump
The men freed the sharks believing they had been fished illegally
Donald Trump has pardoned two shark divers from South Florida who were convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a fisherman's longline.
Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr. received the pardons on Wednesday after being convicted in 2022 of theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction.
The two men avoided prison time, but were ordered to pay $3,343.72 in restitution. The felony convictions prevented them from voting in Florida, owning firearms, and traveling freely outside the U.S.
“This case never should have been filed,” Mansell's attorney, Ian Goldstein, said in a statement. “These gentlemen made an honest mistake and were trying to save sharks from what they believed to be an illegal longline fishing setup. I can’t think of two individuals more deserving of a Presidential Pardon.”
According to court records, Moore, who was captain of a shark-diving charter boat, and Mansell, a crew member, spotted the longline about 3 miles off the Jupiter Inlet in August 2020.
Believing it was an illegal fishing line, the men freed the sharks and grouper, reported it to state wildlife officials, and brought the line back to shore.
Federal prosecutors later charged the men with theft, stating that the line belonged to a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to catch sharks for research.
Mansell and Moore were convicted by a jury, and their appeals were later denied. The full and unconditional pardons signed by Trump erase those convictions.
“We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed,” Moore’s attorney, Marc Seitles, said in a statement. “We are thrilled the White House considered our arguments and determined this was an unjust prosecution. We could not be happier for John and Tanner.”
The pardon for the divers comes as President Trump delivers a series of other pardons. Since the beginning of his second term, they are understood to total 40, before the 1,600 pardons for those charged or convicted in connection with the 6 January 2021 US Capitol riot.
Mansell and Moore were two of at least eight pardons delivered in recent weeks. Alongside them, commuted the federal prison sentence of Larry Hoover, founder of a Chicago street gang.