President Trump Issues New Round Of Pardons

While the Israel-Iran conflict has been the main story in the headlines the last week, this move by Trump was hardly reported.

President Trump has delivered full pardons to two shark divers in Florida.

The divers were convicted of Federal theft crimes after they freed 19 sharks that were connected to a government research line.

WPTV had the full storyt:

Two Florida shark divers who believed they were preventing illegal fishing activity when they freed sharks from a longline in 2020 have received full pardons from President Donald Trump, overturning federal felony convictions that sparked national debate over government overreach.

Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr., both professional shark divers based in Palm Beach County, were convicted of removing federally permitted research equipment during a diving tour off the coast of Jupiter.

The longline they recovered — which had hooked 19 sharks and a protected goliath grouper — was part of a legal federal research project, though the divers say that wasn’t clear at the time.

“We thought we were uncovering a crime,” said Mansell, who described seeing a buoy in the distance and discovering the longline attached. “We were in contact with law enforcement. We were doing the best thing that we knew to do. We thought we were doing the right thing,” Mansell said.

Despite calling the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Mansell said the divers received little guidance and ultimately brought the line to shore after freeing the animals. The U.S. government later charged them with stealing commercial fishing equipment in federal waters — a felony.

Mansell’s attorney, Ian Goldstein, said the criminal charges were a clear case of government overreach.

But a jury ultimately convicted the two men after struggling with the case for days. At issue, Goldstein said, were the instructions given to the jury. He said they were very narrow, asking the jury to decide if the line was taken — regardless of the men’s intentions.

“These were two men acting in good faith. They had no criminal intent whatsoever,” said Goldstein. “The jury deliberated for three days and came back to the judge five times saying they were deadlocked.”

Ultimately, both men were convicted and sentenced to probation and fines.

Here’s Mansell’s reaction to receiving a pardon:

CBS News added these details:

The two men avoided prison time but were ordered to pay $3,343.72 in restitution, and the felony convictions prevented them from voting in Florida, owning firearms and traveling freely outside the U.S.

“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.”

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, according to court records. 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. Officials said the line actually belonged to a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic and 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 Mr. Trump erase those convictions.