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DENVER — A former hunting outfitter will spend time in prison for illegally catching and maiming Utah mountain lions and bobcats for his paying clients to shoot.
A judge sentenced 56-year-old Christopher W. Loncarich of Mack, Colorado, to 27 months in prison and 3 years of probation for conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act that prohibits transportation and sale of unlawfully taken wildlife.
Loncarich ran a hunting business based near the Utah-Colorado border.
He, along with assistant guide Nicholaus J. Rodgers, pleaded guilty in August to facilitating the hunts that took place during the 2007 to 2010 hunting seasons and involved 18 clients — many of whom did not have the required license to take cats in Utah.
Each client paid up to $7,500 for mountain lion hunts and as much as $1,500 for bobcat hunts, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
The hunts resulted in the unlawful killing of more than 30 mountain lions and bobcats, according to a joint investigation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the DWR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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With the help of his assistants, Loncarich tracked down the cats and “hindered” them to make them easier for clients to kill, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The group used methods ranging from holding the cats in cages or leg traps until clients arrived, to shooting the animals in the stomach and paws prior to the hunt.
“This is easily among the worst cases of illegal taking and poaching of wildlife I have seen in my 40-plus years in wildlife management,” said Ron Velarde, a regional manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
In addition to the illegal handling of the animals, Loncarich and his assistants helped clients sneak the unlawfully killed cats across the state lines, according to FWS. The guides frequently used radio to communicate and spoke in code to get around law enforcement at the border.
Loncarich helped clients “check in” the dead animals with false information so they could obtain seals for the hides from Colorado wildlife officials. From there, the guides would illegally ship the cats to clients’ home states.
Loncarich admitted to personally assisting clients in the killings of 15 mountain lions and four bobcats over the course of the illegal operation.
This is easily among the worst cases of illegal taking and poaching of wildlife I have seen in my 40-plus years in wildlife management.
–Ron Velarde, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
“Many of the violations committed by Mr. Loncarich appear to be the result of greed, unlawfully killing and maiming wildlife to increase his profits,” said Steve Oberholtzer, FWS special agent in charge, in a statement Friday. “These convictions, and those to follow, send a clear message that unlawful commercialization of wildlife will not be tolerated.”
Four assistant guides with whom Loncarich shared the hunt money pleaded guilty to Lacey Act violations as well. Two of them are his daughters.
In September, Caitlin Loncarich was sentenced to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine and 60 hours of community service. Andie Loncarich received one year probation, a $500 fine and 35 hours of community service.
In addition, three of Loncarich’s clients were ordered to pay a total of $13,100 in fines.
Rodgers is scheduled to be sentenced for his role in the conspiracy in January.
Loncarich is banned from hunting or fishing during his 3-year probation, and the government seized his truck during the investigation.
