CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Three people are facing charges for illegally transporting wildlife across state lines, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
A federal indictment charges Brian Poling, 51, of Albright, West Virginia; Levi S. Weaver,74, of Fredericksburg, Ohio; and Leroy M. Miller, 40, of Millersburg, Ohio, with violations of the Lacey Act.
The indictment alleges Poling, the manager of Dream Mountain Ranch in Preston County, West Virginia, conspired with Miller and Weaver to illegally transport live deer across state lines without health certificates as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Under U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, anyone who transports live deer in interstate commerce is required to ensure that the animals are accompanied by an Interstate Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection and proof of a tuberculosis test. These regulations are aimed at curtailing the spread of a variety of deadly diseases, including tuberculosis, brucellosis and chronic wasting disease.
The charges resulted from an undercover investigation that took place over several years, beginning in 2021 at the Mid-Ohio Alternative Animal and Bird Sale at Mt. Hope Auction.
Poling allegedly told undercover conservation officers they could buy deer from people who attended Mt. Hope Auction to illegally transport to Florida. According to the indictment, Poling told undercover officers, “I’ll introduce you to a couple Amish boys [in Ohio] where we can get their numbers… They don’t f— with that government bullsh–. [It’s] black market.”
Miller is alleged in November 2021 to have given Poling two bid cards assigned to him by Mt. Hope Auction, which Poling and the undercover officers then used to place bids on four sika deer for a total of $2,400. Poling falsely told an auction official that Miller was the purchaser of the animals, the indictment said.
Additionally, in 2021, Weaver accepted $5,000 from the undercover officers in exchange for two fallow deer he believed would be transported to Florida without an ICVI or tuberculosis test, according to the indictment. Weaver told the officers that his entire herd had been destroyed by the state after one of his white-tailed deer tested positive for CWD.
In 2022, Poling accepted $3,200 from the undercover officers for four white-tailed deer without proper paperwork that he believed would be transported to Florida, according to charging documents. Poling owns Dream Mountain Ranch, a 1,200-acre ranch located in Preston County that calls itself West Virginia’s “premier hunting ranch and wedding venue,” according to dreammountainranch.com. Guests can pay thousands of dollars to hunt trophy white-tailed deer, elk, buffalo, fallow deer, sika deer, Watusi cattle and a variety of exotic animals.
Doug Ault, assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, said the illegal transport of live deer poses a “serious threat to people, wildlife and the economy.”
“Without proper safeguards, outbreaks can occur that disrupt hunting traditions and jeopardize farm livelihoods,” Ault said in a statement. “We remain firmly committed to working with our state and federal partners to protect the American public and preserve our nation’s natural resources for sustainable use by future generations.”
Poling, Weaver and Miller each face up to 5 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
