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Man pleads guilty to four counts of mail fraud Cape Coral

He could face 20 years in federal prison for each count
Posted at 5:01 PM, Jul 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-18 17:01:37-04

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Mark E. Zywotko 47, has pleaded guilty to four counts of mail fraud.

Zywotko faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count.

According to the plea agreement, from January 2013 through December 2017, Zywotko perpetrated a scheme to overharvest more than 50,000 pounds of Gulf reef fish from the waters off Southwest Florida.

These illegally-caught fish were worth more than $286,000.

Zywotko knowingly and illegally harvested, landed, and sold federally-regulated Gulf Reef Fish, including red grouper and red snapper, and
submitted false documents, via the U.S. Mail, to state and federal agencies to conceal his overfishing.

A sentencing date has not yet been set.