FISHING VESSEL CREWMAN SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF FISHERIES OBSERVER

FISHING VESSEL CREWMAN SENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF FISHERIES OBSERVER
Defendant Sentenced to Deportation, Fined and Placed on Probation 

Anchorage, Alaska — United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that a crewman on a fishing vessel pled and was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for sexual harassment of a National Marine Fisheries Service observer while on board a fishing vessel.

On November 30, 2010, Victor D. Chavez-Ramirez, 28, a citizen of Mexico illegally in the United States, admitted that while a crew member on the fishing vessel FV Frontier Spirit, from August 2008through October 2008, he sexually harassed the NMFS observer assigned to the vessel.

After accepting Chavez-Ramirez’s guilty plea, United States Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith sentenced him to be immediately deported, imposed a term of probation of three years, and imposed a fine of $1,500. Magistrate Judge Smith also ordered him to attend sexual harassment training and ordered that he not obtain employment in any fishing-related industry nor any employment on any fishing vessel for the three-year term of probation. Smith imposed these conditions whether or not Chavez-Ramirez was present in the United States. Additionally, Smith told Chavez-Ramirez that he could not re-enter the United States without first obtaining the permission of the Attorney General or his designee. During sentencing, the victim observer provided the court with a statement about the offense and its impact on her and how it has interfered with her work as a fisheries observer.

U.S. Attorney Loeffler noted that, “We will not countenance sexual harassment in any business. All people have a right to perform their work free from harassment.”

NOAA Special Agent in Charge Sherrie Myers said, “We take offenses against observers very seriously. These individuals work very long hours in a hazardous marine environ and they are entitled to work in a safe environment, free from any form of assault, harassment, or interference. These type of offenses threaten both the observer’s safety as well as their ability to collect biological data that is essential for effective management of the fisheries.”

The case was investigated by special agents of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with assistance from the Enforcement Removal Operations division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.