Brazil Fishing Trip Entrepreneur Probed

From www.garyengbergoutdoors.com ~ Friday afternoon, a stunning news release from the Dallas Safari Club reporting a small portion of...hunters and anglers (in foreign countries) have apparently been indulging in sidetrips - participating in “child sex tourism."

The first story surfaced in a series of investigative reports on an Atlanta television station after (allegations about) the owner (Richard Schair) of Gainesville, Georgia based Wet A Line Tours (and others).

According to (those allegations), someone hired 13-to 18 year old Brazilian girls to “party” with Wet A Line clients while fishing in Brazil.

[Word of the allegations against Schair has created a wave of talk in Oklahoma because it was Schair's Wet A Line Tours that Governor Brad Henry, trial lawyers and members of the Judicial Nominating Commission used for a 2007 Amazon River fishing trip in Brazil as first reported by The McCarville Report Online. There has been nothing to tie this trip to any of the allegations. Asked about the allegations on Friday by KTOK reporter Jacqueline Scott, Henry said he's had no contact with the FBI: "I have no idea what you're talking about," Henry said.]

Schair's name was the first to emerge from a lengthy joint U.S./Brazilian investigation, but a second Georgia tour operator is now named in the case. That operator is charged with possession of child pornography for the purpose of soliciting sex with a minor. He was extradited to Pennsylvania on state charges, but the charges were later amended to put the case in federal court.

The Hiawassee, Georgia operator is apparently cooperating with the international investigation in an effort to help his own case. His counsel has confirmed his “full cooperation” with United States and Brazilian authorities.

Privately, officials say they’re not surprised at the offer of cooperation. A lawsuit between the two tour operators was the impetus of the investigation. In that suit, Schair sued for slander, alleging the other operator had made unfounded charges against him.

That suit was settled after a Texas businessman obtained undercover videos, photographs and sworn statements from Brazilian teens confirming they had been hired to work the tours, only to find out later they were expected to have sex with the guests.

Those pieces of evidence were the foundation for what has become an ongoing investigation in the United States and Brazil.

Dallas Safari Club is the first organization to publicly acknowledge the investigation, saying it will “aggressively enforce zero tolerance for those participating in these types of activities.”

“Our Club has a well-established track record of banning outfitters for hunting ethics violations,” says Ben Carter, DSC executive director, “but this deplorable activity goes beyond ethics and into criminal liability.”

“Dallas Safari Club will not stand by while human decency is assaulted, either at home or abroad. I cannot overstate our condemnation of this appalling exploitation of minors.”

According to Carter, DSC will continue to support ethical guides and outfitters, legitimate hunters and anglers - and “the industry as a whole” - for their invaluable worth to global conservation. DSC has a longstanding policy of banning outfitters who commit criminal wildlife violations from membership or participation in club events.

In the meantime, officials involved in this investigation say that their pursuit of this case is far from over, warning “the whole story is only now starting to come to light.” When it does, companies, organizations, individuals and politicians may find themselves under the bright light of public and legal scrutiny that will make their heretofore secret activities entirely too-public.

http://www.garyengbergoutdoors.com/blog/2010/02/01/international-hunting-questions-raised-by-jim-shepherd-2-1-2010/

Read all of TMRO's stories on the Brazil trip by clicking on the label below.

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