A month after a two-person fishing team at an Ohio contest scandalized the competitive fishing world when organizers said they engorged walleyes with lead balls to increase their weight, a grand jury indicted both men on Wednesday on felony charges of cheating and attempted grand theft.
The pair, Jacob Runyan, 42, of Ashtabula, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, 35, of Hermitage, Pa., also face one count each of possessing criminal tools, a felony, and of unlawful ownership of wild animals, a misdemeanor.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said in a statement that the men’s actions were “not only dishonorable but also criminal.” Mr. Runyan and Mr. Cominsky could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, and it was unclear who their legal representation was or if they had any.
On Sept. 30, the pair participated in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament in Cleveland, where the indictment said they “did knowingly engage in conduct designed to corrupt the outcome” of the event.