Arlington Man Faces Trial in Lake Barcroft Orca Investigation
An Arlington County man is scheduled to face trial January 17, 2025, in U.S. District Court in Annandale on charges related to the illegal importation and sale of orcas, also known as killer whales. The largest member of the oceanic dolphin family, orcas can sell for as much as $1,000,000 each, and are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Importing them into the U.S. is illegal.
The trial was scheduled after Ishmael Fudgie, 57, of Lake Barcroft, Virginia, pleaded not guilty Wednesday, February 28, before U.S. District Judge Dennis Peleg.
A federal indictment alleges that Fudgie and Samuel Quint of Amity, New York, conspired to import and sell the protected species, illegally transported them into the U.S. in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, falsified documents to pass through U.S. Customs, and illegally released them in violation of the Invasive Species Act. The men also face charges of wire fraud and making false statements to law enforcement officials.
Lake Barcroft residents first spotted the orcas in September
Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of $250,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. Fudgie is free on personal recognizance pending trial. Quint is incarcerated in New York for unrelated crimes.
The indictment alleges that Quint owned a tropical fish business called Indianapolis Imports, and used that business to smuggle the whales to Fudgie for illegal sale to customers elsewhere in the U.S. In furtherance of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges, Quint consigned a shipment of four orcas to Fudgie on September 9, 2023, from La Guardia, New York to Dulles, Virginia, and falsely identified them in an invoice presented to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as cichlids, tropical fish that are legal to import.
According to the indictment, Fudgie intended to transport the orcas from Dulles to an exotic animal collector in Cleveland, Ohio. When the deal collapsed, Fudgie allegedly transferred the orcas to Lake Barcroft for temporary holding. Virginia tax records show Fudgie purchased a 2.3 million lakefront estate in 2017.
The scheme was discovered after U.S.F.W.S. agents, tipped off by social media reports of an orca pod in Lake Barcroft, obtained surveillance warrants.
In a related action, Judge Peleg approved a federal prosecutor's motion to block relocation of the orcas, which are considered key evidence, pending the outcome of the trial slated for January 17, 2025.
Official say the orcas will be relocated after the trial, sometime in mid 2025.
