Poachers Expose Themselves Mid-Flight, Leading To Federal Convictions

A pair of poachers in California learned the hard way that bragging about illegal hunting trophies in public can have serious consequences. During a flight in November 2023, Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, and Shannon Lee Price, 28, unknowingly exposed their crimes to undercover wildlife officers seated in front of them. Their conversation led to a major investigation and multiple convictions.

The couple was returning from the East Coast when they openly discussed their illegal exploits. Unaware of their audience, they described smuggling a green sea turtle skull — an endangered species protected under federal law — by hiding it inside a jacket. They also spoke about illegally killing a mountain lion and keeping various restricted taxidermy items.

The officers, who worked for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, initially engaged with the couple in casual conversation. Even after the officers revealed their affiliation and suggested looking them up online, Fitzpatrick and Price remained oblivious, continuing to share details about their poaching activities. At one point, they even showed a video of a relative’s trophy room packed with illegally mounted animals, including mountain lions, wolves and a wolverine.

Once the flight landed, the officers asked to see the turtle skull. The couple, wary of TSA agents nearby, hesitated but eventually revealed the illegal item. This gave the officers enough evidence to pursue search warrants for Fitzpatrick and Price’s home in Chico, California, as well as the residence of 64-year-old Harry Vern Fitzpatrick in Napa County.

During the search of the couple’s home, officers found them in the middle of processing a deer taken unlawfully that very day. Additional illegal items were confiscated, including mountain lion claws, a barn owl, a ringtail cat and an untagged spike buck. Investigators also seized illegal mounts from the senior Fitzpatrick’s home, including a wolverine and two full-body mountain lion mounts.

All three individuals faced legal consequences. In a federal case, Fitzpatrick and Price were fined $1,000 each for violating wildlife protection laws. In a separate Butte County case, Fitzpatrick was fined $1,865 and prohibited from hunting for a year. Price received a $1,015 fine and the same one-year ban. In Napa County, the elder Fitzpatrick was fined $605 and placed on six months of hunting probation.

“This case exemplifies the unwavering preparedness and swift action demonstrated by our wildlife officers,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold. He emphasized that wildlife trafficking is a serious crime that fuels international criminal activity.