North Carolina man sentenced for violating Lacy Act in Taylor County

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MADISON, WI (WSAU) -- A North Carolina man who harvested a trophy buck on a game farm in Taylor County then lied about it has been sentenced to a two-year hunting ban and fined.

Jeff Althoff of Greensboro admitted to working with a guide to take the deer on a game farm with help from a paid guide

Althoff then took the carcass to Pierce County where he posed for pictures that were uploaded to his social media accounts with a false narrative stating he had taken the deer in Buffalo County on public land.

He then tagged the deer as if it had been shot in Buffalo County, a violation of the Lacy Act.

In addition to the two-year hunting ban, Althoff will have to surrender all his hunting tools including the bow and arrows used to harvest the deer and a range finder. He'll also pay a $23,000 fine.

The punishment comes after he pleaded guilty to charges of violating the Lacy Act in the US district court in Madison.

He also faces prison time and an additional $100,000 in fines in federal court. That sentence will be handed down next spring.