March 24, 2012
By Anne Jungen, LaCrosseTribune.com
Undercover federal agents saw Faling Yang, 42, and Corrie Korn, 43, kill and transport ducks Oct. 9, 2009, when they were operating a commercial guiding company on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, according to John W. Vaudreuil, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Their conduct violates state law and the Lacey Act, which protects certain animals and other wildlife from illegal hunting.
Their attorneys were not available Friday.
The officers have not been suspended from the police department, which is doing an internal investigation, Capt. Jason Melby said.
“We need to review additional information,” he said.
The officers each face one year in prison and a $100,000 fine when sentenced May 16. They each agreed not to hunt or guide hunters for two years and to pay a $5,000 fine.
Lacey Act prosecutions help ensure that hunters and non-hunters continue to enjoy the refuge, which is one of the largest waterfowl gathering place in the world, Vaudreuil said.
The investigation was handled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.