The suspects, Chad Michael Kulow, Andrea May Major, and LaVoy Linton Eborn, allegedly charged clients hefty fees—ranging from $6,000 to $6,500—for the opportunity to hunt these protected animals in wilderness areas.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho, the trio, although licensed guides employed by a legitimate outfitter service in Idaho, sidestepped legal channels and operated these hunts independently, violating the Lacey Act. This federal conservation regulation prohibits the trade of illegally taken wildlife, fish, and plants. The hunts, which took place from December 2021 to January 2022, resulted in the illegal killing of at least a dozen mountain lions.

The suspects reportedly falsified Big Game Mortality Reports, a requirement from Idaho Fish and Game officials to document large animal kills. These falsified reports falsely indicated that a licensed outfitter had overseen the hunts. Investigators revealed that the illegally hunted mountain lions were transported across state lines, reaching destinations such as Utah, Montana, Alaska, Texas, and North Carolina.

The Department of Justice announced that Kulow, Major, and Eborn were not operating under their licensed outfitter’s federal permits, thus making their actions unlawful. Their illegal hunts took place specifically within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Idaho and Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.

Both Idaho and federal laws mandate that licensed guides must conduct hunts only under the supervision of licensed outfitters who manage the bookings and authorizations. By completely bypassing this process, the trio allegedly engaged in deceptive practices to attract hunters and organize the rogue hunts.

Federal court documents indicate the upcoming trial is set for November. Kulow faces 13 charges, Major faces seven, and Eborn eight, each for violations of the Lacey Act. If convicted, they each risk up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release per violation.

This case forms part of the broader nationwide crackdown on Lacey Act infringements by the Justice Department. An example of the law's reach was seen in November 2023, when Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, known from the Netflix documentary "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act.