Fishermen plead guilty to charges in tournament cheating scandal

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The two anglers at the center of a cheating scandal that rocked the world of competitive fishing last fall pleaded guilty to charges in the case on Monday.

Jacob Runyan, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, of Heritage, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals as part of a plea deal. Both men agreed to three-year suspensions of their fishing licenses, and Cominsky agreed to give up his bass boat worth $100,000.

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Jacob Runyan, left, and Chase Cominsky, pleaded guilty to lesser charges in a high-profile cheating scandal that rocked a Lake Erie fishing tournament. (AP Photo/Mark Gillispie)

Prosecutors agreed to drop attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools charges. Runyan and Cominsky will be sentenced on May 11. Prosecutors are set to recommend a sentence of six months’ probation and later ask for an expungement of their convictions if they complete their probation, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor James Gallagher said.

The crux of the issue stemmed from an incident at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament back in September.

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Tournament director Jason Fischer became suspicious of illicit activity when Runyan and Cominsky turned in fish significantly heavier than the typical walleye.

A male walleye fish from Lake Pueblo State Park caught during the annual Colorado Parks and Wildlife walleye spawn operation. March 22, 2018. (Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Fischer had a crowd around him as he cut into the walleye and found weights and walleye fillets stuffed inside. The ordeal led to the arrests and subsequent charges for both fishermen.

Five walleye contained lead weights and fillets, according to search warrant affidavits. The two men would have received just over $28,000 in prizes for winning the tournament.

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Runyan and Cominsky were also investigated over cheating allegations at a separate walleye tournament in the spring of 2022, according to court records. But a prosecutor concluded that there was not enough evidence to charge them.

The Associated Press contributed this report.