HHH founding member assists NM authorities

[hogwild63]

A Hunters Helping Hunters Founding member and his hunting partner assisted New Mexico Dept of Game and Fish and New Mexico State police nab bogus outfitters producing counterfiet tags. I will keep his name out of it for now until I get his permission to use his name. He and his hunting partner are the two hunters referenced in the article. Here is the article he sent me:

Seboyeta business under investigation for selling bogus elk tags

By Tom Purdom

Staff Writer

GRANTS — Adrian and Henrietta Romero are the owners of Non-Typical Outfitters and are being investigated for manufacturing and selling counterfeit elk tags.

State investigators from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico State Police are now looking at up to 20 possible bogus elk tags.

No charges have been filed in the case, which broke Thursday when Game and Fish Department Conservation Officer Drew Spencer filed an "Affidavit for Search Warrant," a "Search Warrant" and "Return and Inventory" documents in the 13th Judicial District Court Clerk's Office. Similar documents were filed the same day in Bernalillo County and Sandoval County in connection with the same case.

It appears the manufacture and sale of counterfeit elk tags could well be the first of its kind in New Mexico and may be the first of its kind in the United States. Allen Kerby, the state's top Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation official said Thursday it was the first such case he has heard of, but with as much money as is involved in elk hunting it did not surprise him. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation maintains chapters in every state in the United States.

"This is an example of the value of elk and elk hunting to the state of New Mexico," said Guy Riordan, chairman of the state game and fish commission. "It's hard to imagine that someone would risk possible felony fraud convictions to illegally take others elk hunting."

Riordan made the statement in a game and fish department news release issued Friday.

Even Gov. Bill Richardson has heard of the case. "I want to commend the rapid response of the Department of Game and Fish and the State Police to protect the integrity of our sportsmen and the state," Richardson said.

According to a Web site on Non-Typical Outfitters, the business is located in Seboyeta and while elk tags are the primary focus of this investigation, Non-Typical Outfitters also cater to mule deer hunters, mountain lion hunters, turkey hunters, whitetail deer hunters, antelope hunters and bear hunters. Romero did not return a telephone call to Non-Typical Outfitters on Sunday.

Game and Fish Department officers served the search warrant last Wednesday and in the process confiscated business documents, computers, bank statements, videocassette tapes, photographs, four sets of elk antlers and four sets of mule deer antlers, even a snowmobile.

According to the affidavit for a search warrant, on June 18, 2004, the state game commission met and formally voted to revoke and suspend Adrian Romero's guide and/or outfitter registration for three years. Spencer said in the affidavit that on Sept. 30, he was notified that Henrietta Romero had become a registered outfitter and that she was now president of Non-Typical Outfitters.

The case got its start on Oct. 11, when two out-of-state hunters got in touch with New Mexico State Police Officer Billy Cunningham.

State's the affidavit:"Cunningham told Affiant (Spencer) that two elk hunters had come to the Grants State Police Office to file a report about having received possible fraudulent licenses from Henrietta Romero."

Spencer met with the two hunters at a Grants motel and got the alleged counterfeit elk tags. Spencer later met with four other hunters who also had possible counterfeit tags.

Residences in Sandoval County and Bernalillo County came under suspicion when it was learned that Adrian Romero lives in each part-time.

According to the affidavit investigations show the counterfeit elk tags were allegedly manufactured on a computer and printed off of a computer printer.

"Based on the contents of this Affidavit, Affiant's training and experience, and Affiant's investigation to date, Affiant has probable cause to believe and do believe that there has been and now is located on the mentioned premises, certain property, which has been used in connection with the violation of Game and Fish laws of the State of New Mexico (Chapter 17), or which constitute evidence of, or tends to show the violation of forgery, fraud, embezzlement and/or conspiracy to commit those offenses," the affidavit states. "All of the materials requested for seizure are components necessary to obtain evidence that will tend to show that the person(s) under investigation has committed the above listed crime."

Outfitters and guides are registered by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Dan Brooks, chief of the department's law enforcement division, asked that anyone with information about counterfeit hunting licenses in the state to contact the department through Operation Game Thief, 1-800-432-4263. Persons can also contact the department through the it Game and Fish website at www.wildlife.state.nu.us/.

The department also maintains offices in Santa Fe, Raton, Roswell, Law Cruces and Albuquerque.

[buckee]

Re: HHH founding member assists NM authorities

Definately best to keep their names confidential.

It's a sad day for outfitters and hunters, when you start seeing this sort of stuff taking place. It does make you wonder how widespread this problem may be.

It takes guts and integrity to do what your buddys did. My hat's off to them.