Trump grants pardons to divers who liberated 19 sharks in Florida waters.
MIAMI — Two shark divers from South Florida, Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr., have received pardons from President Donald Trump after being convicted of theft for freeing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a fisherman’s longline several miles off the coast. The pardons were signed last Wednesday, following their 2022 conviction for theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction. While the men avoided prison time, they were required to pay restitution of $3,343.72.
Additionally, their felony convictions stripped them of certain rights, including voting in Florida, owning firearms, and traveling freely abroad. Moore’s attorney, Marc Seitles, expressed relief and joy over the outcome, stating, “We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed.”
The incident that led to their charges occurred in August 2020 when Moore, the captain of a shark-diving charter boat, and Mansell, a crew member, encountered an apparently illegal longline approximately three miles off Jupiter Inlet. They freed the trapped sharks and grouper, reported the line to state wildlife officials, and brought it back to shore.
However, the longline belonged to a licensed fisherman, which led to federal prosecutors charging them with theft. Following their conviction and denial of appeals, the presidential pardons effectively erase their felony records. Mansell’s attorney, Ian Goldstein, commented on the events, saying, “This case never should have been filed.
These gentlemen made an honest mistake and were trying to save sharks from what they believed to be an illegal setup.”
Interestingly, Trump’s history shows a long-standing animosity toward sharks. At a rally last year, he expressed a preference for Lake Michigan over the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans, citing the absence of sharks as a reason. His disdain for them can be traced back to at least 2013, when he referred to sharks in a tweet as being lower on his list of concerns than “losers and haters.”