BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A hunting and fishing outfitter from Soda
Springs has been ordered to spend 30 months in federal prison for
illegally leading clients on a mule deer hunt three years ago and
failing to divulge important information in a 2005 bankruptcy
case.
A federal judge Wednesday also barred Sidney Davis, 46, from
hunting, fishing and guiding clients anywhere in the world for
three years after his release from prison.
Davis, the former operator of Trail Creek Lodge who once accused
former NBA star Karl Malone of bribery, pleaded guilty in May to
guiding clients from Nevada on an illegal hunt on public and
private land in October 2008.
Investigators claimed Davis and one of his employees guided the
hunters over a five-day period and arranged to have meat from a
mule deer shot during the hunt shipped back to Las Vegas.
Davis was charged with leading guiding and outfitting those
clients without a valid license as required under Idaho fish and
game regulations.
Do you LOVE local news? Get Local News Headlines in your inbox daily.
Thanks! You'll start receiving
the headlines tomorrow!
In his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, Davis pleaded guilty to
falsely omitting important information from documents.
Investigators say Davis failed to list creditors who had claims
against him and mentioning that he had transferred 21 acres of land
within a year before filing for bankruptcy.
Davis has operated Trail Creek Lodge near Soda Springs since
1993, but his outfitting and guiding license was revoked in 1996 by
state officials after admitting to other hunting and guiding
violations.
"Mr. Davis repeatedly showed disrespect for the law and for
judicial process," said U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson. "Protecting our
natural resources and ensuring that hunters and guides follow fish
and wildlife laws is vital to all Idahoans."
In 2006, Davis attracted national attention when he accused
Malone, a former Utah Jazz basketball player, of offering to pay
$25,000 if Davis would protect him during an alleged illegal hunt
in 1998. That case was later dismissed by an Idaho judge.