Federal agents make more arrests at Idaho Aquarium
Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service arrested two men at the Idaho Aquarium in west Boise Tuesday morning, marking the second time in five days arrests have been made at the popular business.
Federal agents made the arrests about 8 a.m. taking both Ammon Covino and Pete Covino IV into custody. Witnesses said the two were taken away in handcuffs.
According to U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Pamela Bearg, Ammon Covino was arrested for violation of the terms of his pre-trial release. Details were not available.
Tuesday’s arrest marks the second time Covino has been taken into custody by federal authorities. Covino and Aquarium co-founder Christopher Conk were arrested last Thursday, charged with illegally buying marine life in Florida to display at the aquarium. The two were indicted by a Florida federal grand jury in November. The complaint alleged the two bought four eagle rays and two lemon sharks in Florida, harvesting them illegally without a permit.
Agents also arrested Pete Covino IV Tuesday morning. Bearg said he was arrested for obstruction of justice, on a compliant from Florida. Details of the charges were also not immediately available.
Bearg said the two are expected to make their initial court appearance in federal court in Boise soon, although no date and time for their appearance was immediately available.
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office lists Ammon Covino as the president of the non-profit aquarium, and Conk as the secretary.
The aquarium was closed for awhile following the Tuesday morning arrests, but reopened a short time later. Employees at the aquarium said they were "not authorized" to comment to the meduia about the arrests.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.