The Division of Wildlife Resources is warning the public that they take fraud seriously and those who commit permit fraud are held accountable. “Any license that is obtained through fraud, deceit or misrepresentation is not valid,” says DWR Statewide Investigations Capt. Wade Hovinga. “With each hunting permit drawing, our investigators review the applicants’ data to detect any potential fraud.” DWR investigators discovered a Utahn had been using their grandfather’s identity to apply for hunting permits and bonus points for two years. The individual was charged with a class B misdemeanor and a third-degree felony for identity fraud. Another example is a Florida resident who had moved to Florida from Utah who still applied in the hunt drawing as a Utah resident and illegally obtained a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep permit. DWR investigators discovered the individual was living in Florida at the time of applying for the permit and this individual was charged with a class B misdemeanor. “Our once-in-a-lifetime hunts have a very limited number of permits,” explains Hovinga. “When someone lies and obtains one of those permits through fraud, they are robbing someone else of that hunting opportunity.” Learn more at www.wildlife.utah.gov.
