SOLD! Fishing boat tied to cheating scandal goes to highest bidder

[Editor’s Note: Watch previous coverage in the video player above.]

SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) – A fishing boat tied to a local criminal case has now been sold at auction.

The 2022 boat, previously valued at $130,000, sold to the highest bidder for $82,000, according to its listing on govdeals.com.

It was in 2022, Jacob Runyan, 43, of Ashtabula, and Chase Cominsky, 36, of Hermitage, PA were found to have used weights to make their catches appear heavier in a walleye fishing tournament on Lake Erie. Runyan and Cominsky were frontrunners in the tournament, up for “team of the year,” and stood to win more than $28,000 from various prize pools.

The two were sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to cheating.

The scandal made national headlines and as part of their penalty, they had to forfeit the boat they used in the tournament to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

The boat was posted as part of a government online a u ction . According to the listing, 44 bids were placed on the boat that came with motors and a trailer. The highest bid was $82,000. The high bidder will also pay more than $6,000 in taxes.

CLICK HERE to see the listing and you can read more on the case, here.

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