After an investigation that went on for years, 10 people have been nailed on an array of hunting violations, including trying to fake Wyoming residency to get cheaper game tags, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports.
Sean Thomas of Farson had been engaging in illegal activity operating under Great Basin Outfitters, Game and Fish reported Monday. Some of his family members also were implicated.
Retired game wardens told Cowboy State Daily that during their careers, they frequently investigated instances of people falsely claiming Wyoming residency to get resident hunting tags or fishing licenses.
“I think it’s more common than most people would think,” said former game warden H.R. Longobardi.
Multi-Agency Investigation
Wyoming started getting reports of illegal hunting activity involving Thomas and others in 2017, according to Game and Fish.
“The investigation began in earnest from 2018 and continued through July 15, 2021, when Wyoming Game wardens working with their counterparts in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Utah executed search warrants and interviewed numerous individuals associated with committing wildlife crimes in Wyoming,” Game and Fish reported.
“Following the execution of search warrants in July 2021, game wardens continued their investigation and uncovered dozens of wildlife crimes committed by Thomas, members of his family — Michael Jordan and his sons from Stillwater, Minnesota — and friends of Thomas from Utah,” according to the agency.
The charges allege Thomas made false statements to get Wyoming resident licenses, which led to him illegally taking black bears, pronghorn, deer, elk and other wildlife in southwest Wyoming.
The initial cases against all 10 defendants include a combined total of more than 30 counts of making false statements to obtain Wyoming resident licenses.
The Temptation Is There
The temptation is there for out-of-state hunters and anglers to try fudging residency requirements, said Longobardi fellow retired game warden Duanne Kerr.
Wyoming has one of the strictest requirements to establish residency, Longobardi said.
Most states require people to live there for three months before they qualify for less-expensive resident licenses, he said.
Wyoming requires people live here for a full calendar year before they can apply for and buy tags as residents.
The savings can be significant.
For example, a nonresident Wyoming antelope tag costs $326, a nonresident deer tag is $374, and a nonresident elk tag with fishing privileges is $692.
Meanwhile, resident hunting tag prices are $57 for elk, $42 for deer and $37 for antelope.
A 12-month fishing license is $102 for nonresidents and $27 for residents.
Moreover, in many coveted limited-quota hunt areas, residents have better odds of drawing tags than out-of-staters, Keer said.
Address Scams
One way people try to play the system is falsely claiming Wyoming resident addresses when apply for or buying licenses and game tags, Longobardi and Kerr said.
Some people try listing a Wyoming friend or relative’s address as their own, Longobardi said.
Others lie about moving away from Wyoming, Kerr said.
“Sometimes people would live here and move away, and try to use their old Wyoming addresses to apply for licenses,” Kerr said.
Kerr added that he investigated a case of a person who bought vacation property in Wyoming, and tried to claim it as a permanent address to get a resident fishing license.
Sometimes, the best way to catch scammers is to call game wardens in other states and cross-check a person’s residency, Longobardi said.
Consequences
The defendants in the case accepted plea agreements, according to Game and Fish. The case wrapped up with Thomas’ sentencing in Sweetwater County on Sept. 26, according to Game and Fish.
He was arrested by Wyoming Game Wardens on Nov. 10, 2024, and released on a $2,000 surety bond the next day.
On Sept. 26 of this year, Thomas pleaded guilty to:
• One count of making a false statement to procure a Wyoming resident license.
• Five counts of accessory to the intentional take of two buck pronghorn, a doe pronghorn, a cow elk and a bull elk.
• One count of wanton destruction of a calf elk.
• One count of take of a calf elk with a motor vehicle.
• One count of a violation of Wyoming Game and Fish Commission regulations.
Thomas was sentenced as follows: Fines totaling $9,070 ($7,070 suspended), $6,000 in restitution payable to the Wyoming Wildlife Protectors Association, and serve 36 months of unsupervised probation. He also received 365 days in jail, with all but 40 days suspended and credit for one day served.
As a term of his probation, Thomas may not possess firearms or deadly weapons.
Thomas also had his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges suspended for 20 years and forfeited all wildlife seized in 2021, along with a .300 WSM Browning rifle, scope and case.
Other Wyoming defendants in the case include Farson residents Kristine Thomas, Wesley Thomas and Taylor Thomas, and Tommie Mount of Rock Springs.
Out-of-state defendants are Stillwater, Minnesota, residents Michael Jordan, Austin Jordan and Joseph Jordan; David Pehrson of Delta, Utah; and Roger Thomas of Ferron, Utah.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
