Fishing boat from to Lake Erie walleye tourney cheating scandal auctioned for over $96,000

Remember the two men caught cheating during a Lake Erie walleye fishing tournament in 2022? Well, the boat they used has finally been auctioned off, and the proceeds will fund a new Lake Erie patrol craft.

Here's the latest.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources auctions watercraft

The fishing boat seized from Chase Cominsky, 37, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, recently was sold through an online auction, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Cominsky and Jacob Runyan, 44, of Ashtabula, were convicted in May 2023 of felony cheating and misdemeanor animal ownership charges.

The winning bid for the forfeited boat, a 22-foot Ranger, was $82,000 with a final price of $96,288.50 including fees and taxes. The boat was offered for sale with its motors and trailer, a setup that cost $100,000 initially, according to the Columbus Dispatch .

With this money, the Division of Wildlife will purchase a new Lake Erie law enforcement patrol vessel for Ohio Wildlife Officers.

Pair caught cheating during walleye fishing tournament on Lake Erie

Competing for a nearly $30,000 prize on Sept. 30, 2022, Runyan and Cominsky were charged with cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools and unlawful ownership of wild animals -- all felonies -- according to Cuyahoga County prosecutors.

A video posted to Twitter showed Jason Fischer, tournament director for the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, cutting open the winning catch of five walleye and finding lead weights and prepared fish filets inside them. Runyan and Cominsky, the winning anglers, were immediately disqualified, according to a previous Akron Beacon Journal article .

The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation after learning of the cheating allegations .

The pair pleaded guilty in March 2023 to a fifth-degree felony charge of cheating and a fourth-degree misdemeanor charge of unlawful ownership of wild animals, according to a previous article .

They were sentenced in May 2023 to 10 days local incarceration and one and a half years’ of community control and had their fishing licenses suspended for three years, the maximum suspension. The cheating charge also required the forfeiture of the boat.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Fishing boat from to Lake Erie walleye tourney cheating scandal auctioned for over $96,000