Shocking Sentence for Walleye Tournament Cheaters

Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky, the two men charged in a walleye tournament cheating scandal, have been sentenced to a ten day jail sentence. This follows a guilt plea by the men and a deal with prosecutors. The fishing tournament cheating was national news when the two men stuff lead weights into the fish they weighed in during the tournament. Runyan and Cominsky must also pay a $2500 fine and forfeit their fishing license for three years as part of the agreement. The fishing tournament cheaters will go to jail for their crime, and forever be remembered for the video that was seen around the world.
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#fishingtournamentcheaters
#fishingtournamentcheating
#walleyecheaters

[@joehunt4506]

They prosecute this yet politicians go unchecked 🤦‍♂️

[@richdorak1547]

Preach ! A little louder for the folks in the back row .

[@mixedartsofmartialmadness5219]

What pedos??

[@mixedartsofmartialmadness5219]

Epstein who?? Such a crooked country we live in

[@tinbus149]

Maxwell trafficked girls to....... wait for it....... no one.

[@RWildekrav66]

Fraud in a walleye tournament is as you know way worse than treason against our country !

[@anthonybass8395]

They should also never be allowed to fish in any fishing tournament again

[@Valkaneer]

A 3 years license suspension was reasonable, but IMO I think they should have to pay back every single bit of winnings they took while cheating. They stole from their fellow, well ex-fellow fisher fiends. And oh boy these men's wives, how ashamed they must be. Their families are actually who's taking the worst of this. My dad did something really bad, and my mom nearly lost everything. If it wasn't for my grandpa selling off his land to help my mom she would have lost her house and everything else. The worst part was going over to my mom's and watching her sell off everything she owned. I sat there looking at the things of my childhood being sold for next to nothing to pay for a crime she did not commit, and I couldn't do a thing about it.

[@jeffhodge7272]

WOW.Sorry to hear about that. I definitely think the suspension is appropriate.A fine at least as well.Jail? I don't know if that's necessary but.I wasn't effected by it so.Easy for me to say. 🙃

[@LARRYCAL]

@@jeffhodge7272it’s 10 days

[@CA-kv6fy]

Seems like a slap on the wrist to me

[@Catfish_piratz]

As bad as cheating was, the fact all of the other true sportsman who have been cheated, obviously for years, stayed level headed that day and days since shows how great our fishing community is.

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

How do you know the other sportsman aren’t cheating

[@garygwinn5818]

They should have delivered them a proper beating. I would have if I would have been 1 of their competitors

[@garygwinn5818]

​@fishy dubs fishing Because, the weight of their fish is proportionate with the size of their fish. When you do dozens of weigh ins, it's easy to tell

[@judd0112]

They were lucky they were able to walk away unharmed from this event. This is serious and peoples livelihood is at stake and to find out that you lost due to some jackasses stuffing fish with sinkers? They thought they were smart and it’s never been done before? Total neophytes.

[@reedeayers]

How do you know everyone is cheating? Do you use this excuse in your relationships too!

[@jamesjordan6005]

I don't think they should have been allowed to plea at all, they'd best be thanking Jesus they got off with what they got.There are to many honest fishermen, (and women) out there that play by the rules to suffer from this kind of crap - it's just outright theft in my book and deserving of the max!!!

[@nachopretzel3533]

They committed several grand larceny.

[@thomasmills8834]

Thank you for the best information out there about the fishing community

[@fishregulator]

such a light sentence but at least no tournament director will ever accept them to participate in another tournament.

[@hawkgeoff]

I liked that the judge tossed out the prosecution's recommendation of no jail time and 6mos probation. The judge gave them a 10 days in jail and 2yrs, I believe, probation. Watching all these dirtbags in liberal cities let walk for violent crimes it was refreshing to see them get anything.

[@markreeves2491]

Thanks for the update Dieter ! 👍👍

[@DieterMelhorn]

Thanks for watching!

[@mrca443]

What a sad situation. I know many wanted a harsher penalty; however, this has altered and potentially already ruined their lives.

[@koreywilliams4570]

They ruined their own lives. They knew what they were doing when they added the weights.

[@dominus6438]

How is this a "sad" situation? It's just a terrible one. These guys knew what they were doing, and they got a slap on the wrist for it. Anything lives ruined, was of their own choices and doing.

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

This is bull how can you arrest somebody or put them in jail for cheating everybody cheats

[@PurpleDrac]

Man that's 🤬up!! 🤨

[@Hando10]

Lol they got wrecked 😂 Let the other cheaters know this is what can happen. Don’t feel Bad at all. Guys almost walked away with 29K. Remember that

[@tabbycat6458]

You would have had to have held my dad back if he was there. That cheater took a boat and money away from an honest fisherman and thats so messed up. They took his boat and they should drop it off to the rightful person.

[@fishin-impossible2992]

Good follow up Mr Dieter

[@eddiegoodman9267]

Thank you for the update

[@porkchopersoutdoors8322]

I love your videos man keep it up you know what you're doing

[@ronpennington2092]

I don't believe they even make a Bass boat that comes close to $100,000

[@DieterMelhorn]

You can find some that cheap…..may not have all the bells and whistles….

[@jeffhodge7272]

I'm not even a competitive fisherman and this p'd me off. When I was a kid I never EVEN thought competitive fishing would be a thing. Making a living fishing.🤭

[@MKBergamot]

Now the challenge is how to sneak weights into everyone else's fish!

[@raphmaster23]

Idk how i started getting recommended these videos i dont fish, ive never searched for fishing tournaments. But im sucked in now lol

[@wayne-oo]

The boat was won in a previous tournament !

[@joshuamccleary8252]

Started watching river certfied years ago and a few others and I always come back to dieter

[@DieterMelhorn]

Lots of great content creators out there in the fishing world, so I appreciate you watching my show

[@asa1000photography]

Who were their SPONSORS?

[@Rippinlips513]

They should never be allowed to fish anywhere or ever again, lifetime banishment from fishing

[@robertmceuen3630]

Giving up the boat is a good part of their punishment. But which one owned the boat, or was it owned jointly? Hit'em in the wallet. Yes, the embarrassment they will face in public will sting for a long time too.

[@luke9911]

They should have injected clear kids slime.

[@petebusch9069]

My God, make them pay back what they stole and then ban them from fishing for life.

[@ronmacdougall9612]

I hope more fishing tournaments check out fish for weights,when it comes to money they do everything possible to get it.

[@gladegoodrich2297]

They stole money and that has consequences, its call jail time!

[@walte99]

Is there any restitution of prize money won over the prior couple of years? What's to keep them from going to a nearby state and getting a fishing license? I'm having trouble believing this will affect them for a significant amount of time.

[@robertmceuen3630]

Their faces are well known in the fishing "community" across all of America. They'll not be able to hide. I'm not sure they are willing to face the sh--storm if they were to be caught again.

[@EastSideHitMan420]

They can't prove that they cheated in Other Tournaments You can't charge anybody if you don't have evidence and I'm sure they'll be able to get fishing license in other states but in all Reality what Would the benefit of them going to a creak and fish with no money involved? Do it for fun like most people? Also I'm sure every Tournament director in the country is gonna know these guys so I Doubt they'll be able to have fishing as a financial stream anymore

[@franknstein33]

What about all the money they Stole from tournaments.???

[@wafflesacker]

The judge can also take your gun license for up to 10 years

[@mikecannon6378]

Second camera angle...nice touch sir

[@wafflesacker]

Up here in Canada you get caught doing this your license for fishing and hunting is gone plus you loose everything you used to catch the fish including boat truck trailer and up to 50 K fine per fish

[@jamesloerzel4377]

The 3 year suspension is because, back in the day fishing and hunting were major ways if feeding people's families...

[@cerebraltackle]

@Dieter Melhorn Fishing - Please review the letter that was sent to the judge asking for more than what the DA offered! We sent a letter to Judge Steven Gall asking for more. I ask him in the letter if he was a fisherman. He answered today in court, responding that he grew up fishing! It was three times more time probation than what the da offered! Also, jail time which was not included in the original plea!! We did good!

[@DieterMelhorn]

Thanks for making that effort!!!

[@cerebraltackle]

@@DieterMelhorn thank you! He answered the question I asked in court...as to if he fished. He said he grew up with a pawn just down the road and recently took his grandkids fishing. The look on Cominsky's face when he found out he wasn't leaving was priceless. He had the Lando Calrissian "we had a deal" look minus the class.

[@blacktranch]

@@cerebraltackle Did you want a star sticker from the judge too?? 😂. Their “fishing” career was ruined the day they got caught, they lost all credibility, honor, dignity, and a 130k boat. I can’t believe your excited they got 10 days in jail. It’s a FISHING tournament.

[@cerebraltackle]

@@blacktranch "your excited"...really? I guess you didn't get a gold star from your English teacher, now did you? Go find your father...I bet he's still at the 7-11 looking for cigarettes. Troll.

[@michaelgray4601]

So... Crime does pay? See y'all at the next tournament. I need to go get some weights first.

[@randywilson6869]

Can u share some info on how to fish around turtles? Everywhere I seem to fish in ne Okla.there is a lot of turtles

[@jamesloerzel4377]

Run a trout line and thin them out... Find someone who likes to eat turtle...

[@CharlieDontSurf1006]

This is got to be embarrassing for their families. This is more embarrassing than jumping the lawn mower over the above ground swimming pool in the backyard.

[@RoxburysFishing]

So really a slap on the wrist because the boat was probably from a sponsor lol but great to see all the other fisherman keep pretty calm

[@williammason9789]

The crime of fraud was (it seems) is what they plead to and were punished for. To the fishing community, the sin was their cheating. I like that the judge fishes. That got them more punishment than a non fisherman might have hit them with.

[@TheGreenKnight70]

What about all the prize money from past tournaments. I hope there are endless civil cases against them

[@happyfisherman4432]

thankfully they got a judge who cares about things like this and sentenced accordingly

[@garygwinn5818]

If a league ever lets these guys compete again, they are gonna get whacked.

[@outdoorsinindianawithdaves9826]

Not enough jail time but at least the felony convictions will cost them in life

[@holder1971]

Sentences expunged upon completion of sentence. Basically it's a diversion.

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

People cheat every day of the year there's a cheater boring every day of the year does anybody really think this is going to can you curtail cheating

[@justobey733]

I hope they don't find out I cheated on a math exam in 4th grade some 40 years ago. Is that a life sentence?

[@kaptkrunchfpv]

10 days? How much have they made off cheating? They had to give up a boat, so what? What about all the cash prizes they have won up to being caught. From what I understand its 9 wins, 11 top finishes. Thats got to be more than the $2500 they were fined, LESS if they donate to a fish related charity. Id say it was worth the 10 days.

[@davidmiskell3051]

I think that the sentence should have been longer as a deterrent to others who think about doing this would think twice about it. At least they kept the boat and have to pay.

[@momoniji6439]

Freshwater fishermen take their tournaments way too seriously 😂

[@FondelMikeRotch]

It’s about honesty and morality. Obviously you have none.

[@momoniji6439]

@@FondelMikeRotch Guess I dont 🤷‍♀

[@culturedape279]

The guy that owned the boat is the one paying hugely.

[@MichaelPetry72]

Was any charges that stuck felonies?

[@tonysimons7218]

I mean, they can go to any other state and buy a license to fish so it’s really useless.

[@arekblack4068]

I need to find that neon sign. 👀

[@rolltide419]

Too bad they were able to get the damn boat back

[@77jaycube69]

The thing that gets me is how blatant they were about it. I could see if it was an ounce or two or maybe even a few small weights. But they were using giant @$$ egg weights. I mean come on, how did they expect to get away with that. Did they really think no one would notice these fish weighing way more than they should have.

[@DieterMelhorn]

It’s almost as if they wanted to get caught….

[@77jaycube69]

@@DieterMelhorn Now that would be one crazy plot twist. But seeing how this is 2023, I guess everything is on the table.

[@ricorods3299]

This sucks , all this shows the people that wanna chest is the punishment ain’t shit … As a fisherman I would have love to these these guys get banned from all fishing licenses for life . Never allowed to compete again , after 3 years they both be somewhere fishing in tourneys watch

[@justobey733]

Looks like they are going to arrest every single nascar team for cheating..

[@jerryplesko9521]

How come tournament cheaters face people and walk up on a stage and collection money for faking a fishing tournament.And it didn't bother them 😮

[@r.hernandez6152]

I figured they would do that at any fishing tournament look for weights!?

[@aarondavies8486]

Them rods are shocking usa tackle is really 20 years behind uk tackle

[@josesaavedra9977]

10 days? Plus community service what a joke they been doing this for years and collecting alot of money 😤😡

[@geneeverett7855]

Bro u can’t charge people for what u think they did. It pisses me off too , but u gotta look at it differently.

[@jimhufford7328]

Now that I've got my boat set up for catfishing, I was think about entering the local, fun tournaments. Not now. This incident shows that people take this stuff WAY too seriously for me.

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

Tournaments need to be banned they kill countless numbers of fish for no reason if you go fishing specially in salt water after a tournament you will not catch nothing

[@Mike-wc1ns]

I'm always floored by the nature of people who cheat others for their own personal gain. No conscience at all. A royal beat down by the other teams would have been a more suitable punishment. As a note, I worked as a felony probation officer for sixteen years and I can tell you it's an absolute joke!

[@johnshank8421]

Unfair punishment one looses his boat the other one doesn’t that’s a bigger issue than the other guy has to deal with

[@kellyroberts560]

From the information that I have they won the boat the year before and people were crying foul at that time that they were cheating but they left before they could check the fish.

[@David-vo8zf]

Have fun and do what you can with fishing

[@bobcollyer181]

The loss of the boat they won by cheating IS NOT A punishment. BTW one report I saw said they won 2 boats.

[@NicolasValentinScotland]

The cheaters are known in Scotland . Glad they go some jail at the end .

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

lifetime loss of right to participate in any fishing tournament for life and repay all winnings from the past. Next case. Surprised this stuff isnt checked more often and more cheating found

[@kylebarcomb6192]

How about paying everyone there money back too

[@DieterMelhorn]

They never received any money in this tournament…..

[@reedeayers]

I gotta say, I’m not shocked about the sentencing. Seems pretty on the spot

[@oscarjonesxxx2893]

Not enough time - 3years is more like it.

[@danielsmith1925]

I could sleep off a ten day sentence come on. I was on probation for 3 years 5 thousand dollar fine and three months in jail i served 30 days . All for taking a piss next to the river. Where i thought no one was around. But a lady seen me from behind called the law .. totally different situation I know. There lives in the fishing world of over. But they still stole money

[@ozziejim8472]

I think it’s responsible considering their reputation is in the toilet.

[@sinfulbeliever7083]

As much they earned already by cheating, they already got it made. They shoukd've been punished worse but law only allows so much for this kind of crime.

[@TheRoguelement]

I do love fishing but still can't wrap my head around walking into the woods to kill anything that moves . I'm sorry But I just don't feel that need to get my gun off like that ...

[@DieterMelhorn]

It's not for everyone....

[@dtffishingmi]

They'll also surely be banned from any kind of fishing tournaments for life I assume. The sheer level of embarrassment was likely taken into consideration here as the sentences seem light for the crimes. They failed a polygraph test as far back as 2021 - I think they should have had to pay restitutions equal to all of their winnings at least back until that time. A $130,000 boat seizure and $2,500 fine seem bad, but it's far less than they likely stole by cheating in all of those tournaments over the years. They should have also been made to pay restitutions to all of their sponsors.

[@JGunit]

A great podcast episode on this is the Meateater podcast. They have on the guy who busted them. It's great

[@brentbyus2593]

The boat was won in a big tournament as the top prize

[@stephenconnors2111]

Slap on the wrist!

[@JMason-Outdoors]

So they basically didn't get anything. Their reputation being ruined is probably the worst thing that happened to them.

[@joeys7519]

So basically they made money and got off Scott free

[@DieterMelhorn]

You apparently didn’t watch the video….

[@wesleyharden-nd8jf]

Cheaters never prosper

[@petebusch9069]

A 10 day sentence, what is the point?

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

This is ridiculous everybody in the world cheats and nothing is ever done look at NASCAR racing how much cheating goes on nobody's ever arrested and do you think this is going to stop anybody from cheating I doubt it

[@ronwhitfield8356]

something smells fishy!

[@murrayandru7527]

Sad Really but Glad they got caught for their stupidity more say but it's a Stupid World out there !!

[@matthewmcnulty698]

I wish they were able to Get Their fishing privileges taken away from them For Life if they have done it before they. Will do it again

[@ginabird111865]

Yea they cheated but so many people have done such worse things than this and they are not even in as much trouble sad day for them there life’s are ruined for fish cheating

[@paulmoss7940]

On top of this , they should have been given a first class azz whooping when caught. And a big tattoo on their forehead so I can recognize their face on the water.

[@brucegraves5536]

A shame that the dnr would allow such light sentences.

[@DieterMelhorn]

Sadly, the DNR does not have any control over the sentencing….

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

Well there goes the weekly poker game boys no more cheating

[@ronaldames9953]

They did not have to give up the boat they did that on their own from their last tournament which to me seems like they may have cheated in that tournament also.

[@DieterMelhorn]

No, it was part of the plea agreement….

[@ryanc9888]

Remember when people just went fishing for fun lol

[@mikebeddingfield2144]

Pay a fine or donate the same amount to charity! Well that's a no brainer! Donations are tax deductible! Fine's are not!

[@kylebarcomb6192]

How about if there stuffed with nonmetals how would they know ,I say open all winning fish up and inspect them

[@DieterMelhorn]

Metal detector…..

[@genesispuredeaf2390]

The number of times you say “uh” or “ah” is ridiculous. I cannot go along with the punishment. It is way, way short of being justice measured out.

[@matthewkrejci2371]

I definitely agree with everything besides the 10 days in jail. In the bigger picture, that’s 10 days (for each of them) of resources wasted to keep them in jail. Just my humble opinion

[@oxyfee6486]

They should have been given community service, a year of cleaning garbage from the shores of lakes and streams.

[@timadams3975]

Guess you have better watch out for these guys at pay lakes since its the only place they can fish at for the next 3 years.

[@kengyang1908]

That's what we need cheater to donate to teach our kids to cheat,, typical slap on wrist bs

[@wildwendell3970]

They just need x ray machine😊

[@Rob-te3yr]

Still It looks as if these guys made some good money of of all those other guys they cheated In all those tournaments before they got caught.

[@larryking606]

Hey Dieter , It's a shame that people go to the extent of Cheating to try and win a fishing contest or just plain cheating to get ahead in anything ! Oh Yes , They will be recognized as Cheaters And that will be the biggest punishment of all ! Take Care and Be Safe !