Fishing Code Violation

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LaughingBear

Registered Users (C)
I have a greencard. I went fishing the other day and unconsiously went over the daily limit. I was cited by a state park officer and was issued a ticket (criminal, not infraction). I am not required for a court hearing if I pay the fine($150).

Will this be considered as moral turpitude? How big an impact will this have on my future citizenship application?

Worried...Thanks!
 
Originally posted by LaughingBear
I have a greencard. I went fishing the other day and unconsiously went over the daily limit. I was cited by a state park officer and was issued a ticket (criminal, not infraction). I am not required for a court hearing if I pay the fine($150).

Will this be considered as moral turpitude? How big an impact will this have on my future citizenship application?

Worried...Thanks!
Click to expand...

You must pay or fight the ticket. It is nothing wrong to get such tickets. If you try to avoid paying it or ignore it, then it can have consequences on your N400. If you pay and keep the receipt to show for N400, it will be like a ordinary traffic ticket.

This is my personal opinion.
 
The "Cirminal" part

Thanks a lot.

What concerns me is that my ticket is "criminal" rather than "infraction". If it is just an infraction, I would have pleaded guilty and paid already, just to get it over with.

Using traffic tickets as examples: DUI driving citations are criminal. An ordinary speeding is an infraction.

Anyway, your post makes me feel better. I will definitely fight in this case, though the court is a couple of hours away, what a drag.
 
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Seems rough that u were issued a criminal citation. Are u sure it was not a mistake of checking a wrong box on the ticket?

If this is a "criminal" violation, dont plead guilty without fighiting it. I suggest you fight it in court, they may just fine u and may even reduce or remove the impact.

Its great you are thinking along these terms. Even though i seriously doubt if the CIS would cause you concern over a few dead fish its important to deal with this. This may even appear on your "record" if you let it slip.

May sound like an overkill, but a $100-$200 for a 30 min legal consultation with a lawyer is NOT a bad idea, considering you are applying for Cz

PS: Ignorance of the rule is no excuse for being innocent. You need to have better reasons to win in court in my opinion
 
CMT

Almost all fishing/game violations in my state are criminal. Only a handful are infractions(like not displaying your license in an obvious place).

I am going to retain an attorney and slug it out. Now, the worst case scenario: if I lose and get convicted and pay up, how can I be sure that is not Moral Turpitude? This is definitely a case that the behavior is not inherently bad, however, the regulations make it illegal. But how can I be certain?
 
If you are found not guilty in court , you have your answer. If you are found guilty, I honestly dont think this will go against you. This is not a repeat offense, and was commited unknowlingly.

The interviewer will ask you abt it, and you can explain yourself to your benefit for sure I think.

Get an attorney, its a good idea
 
Hi laughingbear,

Sadly I'm in the same boat - I'm in Seattle and got a fishing ticket as well. The thing is that May 10 issue of Seattle PI had a story that someone's citizenship application was denied on the basis of a fishing ticket.

Any follow-up with your case? I'm curious how you would find a lawyer. I tried a few lawyer referral services but no luck yet. Guess not many people would handle cases like this. Thanks.

Hahamonkey
 
To Haha

There's a follow up article on Seattle PI (May 19th). Basically it seems that the local INS is a little embrassed of being over-the-top harsh, and they reopened the files. I will keep a close eye on how that case proceeds. I think we should be ok.

Just out of curiosity, did you get your ticket in King County, Skagit or Grays Harbor County?
 
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