Florida shark-diving captain John Moore Jr. receives presidential pardon after five-year fight for justice. Convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a longline, Moore and his crew were surprised by the pardon, which overturned felony convictions impacting voting rights, firearm ownership, and international travel. The case involved a dispute over the legality of the longline, highlighting the complexities of marine conservation and fishing regulations
Florida shark-diving captain John Moore Jr. received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, calling the document a "surprising" and unexpected reversal of his 2022 felony theft conviction for freeing sharks from a longline. The pardon lifts restrictions on his voting rights, firearm ownership, and international travel
John Moore Jr., a shark-diving charter boat captain, and crew member Tanner Mansell received presidential pardons after their 2022 felony convictions for theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction. The convictions, stemming from freeing caught sharks and a grouper, resulted in a $3,343.72 restitution order but no prison time. However, the felonies barred them from voting in Florida, owning firearms, and unrestricted international travel. This pardon reverses these significant civil rights limitations
Surprised by Presidential Pardon: Shark-Diving Captain's Felony Overturned After Unrequested Clemency from Trump. John Moore Jr., convicted of theft for freeing trapped sharks, received a pardon without seeking it, expressing disbelief at the unexpected reversal of his felony conviction
Shark diving captain John Moore Jr. received a surprising presidential pardon for freeing sharks from a longline, despite never seeking one. He and his attorney were taken aback, stating they were pursuing Supreme Court action and hadn't contacted the White House for clemency. The pardon overturned his 2022 felony conviction for theft, restoring his voting rights, firearm ownership, and international travel freedoms
In August 2020, off Jupiter Inlet, Florida, Captain John Moore Jr. and Tanner Mansell discovered an illegal longline 3 miles (5 kilometers) offshore. They freed 19 entangled sharks, a grouper, reported the incident to Florida wildlife officials, and returned the line to shore. Subsequent federal charges of theft stemmed from the longline's ownership by a legally licensed NOAA shark researcher
Shark-diving captain John Moore Jr. and crew member Tanner Mansell, pardoned by President Trump, were convicted of theft for cutting a NOAA-licensed fisherman's research shark longline. The men, who freed 19 sharks and a giant grouper believing the line to be illegal, faced felony convictions impacting their voting rights, firearm ownership, and international travel before receiving their pardon
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Mansell and Moore were convicted by a jury, and their appeals were later denied. The full and unconditional pardons signed by Trump erase those convictions.
“Would I have done something different, now that I know that that was a legal line?” Moore asked. “I was a commercial fisherman. I would never touch a legal line. But now I know more about this, that those things can exist.”
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