Kasilof fisherman convicted of PFD fraud

Additional charges against a longtime Kenai Peninsula fisherman were dropped by a prosecutor Tuesday after a plea deal was reached in Juneau on Friday over the court case.

Roland Maw, a Kasilof drift fisherman, was convicted Friday of one misdemeanor of unsworn falsification for illegally collecting multiple Permanent Fund dividend payments, KDLL reported.

According to his court notes, he’ll have to pay a $500 fine and $9,582 in restitution charges. All the additional 16 charges against him related to the case were disposed of by a prosecutor Tuesday.

In February 2015, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers received notice from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that Maw had purchased resident sport hunting and fishing licenses in Montana, the case states.

Investigation revealed he had been obtaining various Alaska resident hunting and fishing licenses from as far back as 1996, while also obtaining approximately 50 different resident Montana sport licenses between October 2008 and March 2014.

The court case also states officials found Maw had six long-term absences from the state of Alaska from 2008 to 2014, but had still applied for the PFD consistently from 2002 through 2014. Under Alaska law, a PFD recipient must claim full residency and not be absent from the state for more than 90 days in a given year.

The court case states that Maw failed on multiple occasions to disclose extended absences from Alaska, which would have prompted him to fill out the Adult Supplemental Schedule to determine if he had obtained any resident hunting or fishing licenses in another state during the qualifying year.

Maw is a former director of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association.

Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.

Tags: