CLEVELAND — Two fishermen were sentenced to jail time and a fine at a hearing Thursday after pleading guilty in March to multiple charges for cheating during a fishing tournament in September 2022 after weights were found inside the fishermen’s catches.
Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky were both sentenced to 10 days in jail and a $2,500 fine, which will be reduced if it's paid to a fishing-related charity, the judge in their case ruled.
As part of their guilty plea, the men had already forfeited the $100,000 fishing boat they won from previous fishing tournaments, as well as their trailer and other fishing equipment. They also had their fishing licenses revoked for the next three years, which is the maximum amount of time allowed by state statutes.
“It was important for the sake of the sport, for the sake of all competition that we make it so these types of cheating actions never happen again,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley.
Before the judge handed down the sentences for the defendants, both men apologized for their actions.
"It really hurts. I wish I could take it back. I wish I could go back to September 30th and redo things, but I can't," Runyan said.
Cominsky added, “This is embarrassing. I’m ashamed. It’s the most ignorant decision I’ve made in my life.”
Watch the video of the sentencing below. WARNING: Videos from the tournament played in court contain graphic language. Viewer discretion is advised.
In the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on March 27, Runyan and Cominsky both pleaded guilty to two of the four charges they were originally charged with:
- One count of Cheating (felony of the fifth degree)
- One count of Unlawful Ownership of Wild Animals (misdemeanor of the fourth degree)
RELATED: 2 fishermen plead guilty to charges for cheating in Sept. 2022 walleye tournament
Fifth-degree felonies are punishable by up to 12 months in prison and up to $2,500 in fines, officials stated. Fourth-degree misdemeanors are punishable by up to 30 days in jail and up to $250 in fines.
March 27 was to be the jury selection day for Runyan's and Cominsky's trial on these charges; instead, the men decided to plead guilty. They were also originally charged with fifth-degree felony counts of attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools.
"This plea is the first step in teaching these crooks two basic life lessons,” said O’Malley. “Thou shall not steal, and crime does not pay.”
According to an ODNR investigation, Runyan and Cominsky competed in a tournament on Sept. 30, 2022. The tournament hosts fishermen from several states to see which team can catch the five heaviest walleye in Lake Erie. Had Runyan and Cominsky won the tournament, they would have received a total prize of $28,760.
At the end of the tournament, the director noticed that the duo's walleyes weighed more than they looked and sliced the fish open. An investigation revealed that 10 weights were found inside the walleyes, with eight weighing 12 ounces and two weighing eight ounces, along with several walleye filets. In cell phone video from the weigh-in, tournament director Jason Fischer cuts open the fish and shouts, "We've got weights in fish."
The pair was immediately disqualified and asked to leave the tournament amid shouting from fellow competitors.
“What you saw was emotion," Fischer told the judge during the sentencing hearing. "These guys have families. They have jobs. They do things, and they follow the sport of fishing because it’s what they love to do.”
Other competitive fishermen agreed the scandal had been a stain on the sport.
“They’re cheaters. They’ll pay. They’ll pay one way or another,” said Kurt Marshall.
After reeling in the first-place fish for the Crazy Spring Walleye Derby in April, Marshall said he was required to take a lie detector test. He said it was a rule instituted after the cheating scandal.
Marshall believes the sentences for Cominsky and Runyan were too lenient, but he also recognizes the pair will likely be blacklisted from the sport for the foreseeable future.
“Everybody out here on this lake that hears what happened are going to say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said.
Watch our previous coverage on this incident that gained national headlines last fall:
RELATED: Bond set at $2,500 for 2 fishermen who allegedly cheated during walleye tournament
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