After a lengthy investigation spanning years, a Wasilla man pleaded guilty on Friday to “four counts related to to illegally guiding clients for sport fishing and big game, waste of fish and taking a moose closed season,” troopers report.

During a hearing conducted by Assistant Attorney General Arne Soldwedel with the Office of Special Prosecutions, after pleading guilty, John J. Paoletti was fined “$30,000 with $18,000 suspended, ordered to forfeit a Hewescraft boat with accompanying equipment, revoked from hunting or fishing for two years.” Paoletti was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,000 for an illegally taking a moose in 2011. He cannot be in the field with anyone hunting or fishing during his five year probation.

The investigation into Paoletti’s illegal activities began in 2012 after Wildlife troopers received a complaint that Paoletti was using his business in Wasilla to provide guiding services for sport fishing out of Whittier without a license. During that time, Paoletti was advertising sport fish guide services on his business’s webpage.

In August, 2012, undercover troopers went on a guided sport fishing trip with Paoletti in his Hewescraft. Then in June of 2013, Paoletti provided guiding services to the same undercover troopers for a black bear hunt in Prince William Sound.

It was at the conclusion of the June 2013 trip that troopers seized Paoletti’s boat,,,,, all of the equipment aboard the boat, cash and Paoletti’s cell phone.

During the lengthy investigation, it was also revealed that Paoletti also took a small bull moose in his back yard with archery equipment while hunting season was closed.

Paoletti will be on probation until 2020.

  archery, balck bear, black bear, fishing, guiding, hunting, illegal, john j. paoletti, Moose, prince william sound, sentencing, wasilla