Donald Trump threw two shark divers a lifeline with these pardons that left environmental activists stunned

The pardons are flowing for those who faced what many consider unjust prosecutions.

And Donald Trump threw two shark divers a lifeline with these pardons that left environmental activists stunned.

Two Florida shark divers freed from legal nightmare

President Donald Trump granted full pardons to two South Florida shark divers who were convicted of theft after freeing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from what they believed was an illegal fishing line.

Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr. received the pardons on Wednesday, effectively erasing their 2022 convictions for theft of property within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction.

The incident occurred in August 2020 when Moore, serving as captain of a shark-diving charter boat, and Mansell, a crew member, spotted a longline approximately three miles off the Jupiter Inlet.

Believing they had stumbled upon an illegal fishing operation, the men took action by freeing the trapped marine life, reporting the line to state wildlife authorities, and bringing it ashore as evidence.

“These gentlemen made an honest mistake, and believed they were doing the right thing by saving sharks dying on what appeared to them to be an illegal long line,” Ian Goldstein, Mansell’s attorney, stated.

What seemed like a good deed quickly turned into a legal nightmare for the two men.

Federal prosecutors turned heroes into criminals

Federal prosecutors charged the men with theft, claiming the line actually belonged to a fisherman licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to catch sharks for research purposes.

Despite their good intentions, a jury found Mansell and Moore guilty, and their subsequent appeals were denied.

Though they avoided prison time, the felony convictions required them to pay $3,343.72 in restitution and stripped them of fundamental rights including voting, firearm ownership, and unrestricted international travel.

“I couldn’t be more happy for Tanner and John,” Goldstein told Florida’s Voice. “We have maintained from day one that this case never should have been brought.”

Marc Seitles, Moore’s attorney, expressed similar sentiments about the pardons: “We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed. We are thrilled the White House considered our arguments and determined this was an unjust prosecution. We could not be happier for John and Tanner.”

Trump’s shark pardon raises eyebrows

The pardons are particularly noteworthy given Trump’s well-documented dislike of sharks.

At a campaign rally last year, he commented that Lake Michigan was preferable to the Pacific or Atlantic oceans because “you don’t have sharks. That’s a big advantage. I’ll take the one without the sharks.”

His animosity toward the ocean predators goes back even further.

In 2013, he said that “sharks are last on my list — other than perhaps the losers and haters of the World!”

Despite his personal feelings about sharks, Trump recognized the injustice in the men’s case and granted them full and unconditional pardons, demonstrating his commitment to addressing cases of prosecutorial overreach.

The pardon for the divers comes as President Trump has delivered a series of other pardons since beginning his second term, including commuting the federal prison sentence of Larry Hoover, founder of a Chicago street gang.

Goldstein summed up the sentiment shared by many supporters of the two men: “This case never should have been filed. These gentlemen made an honest mistake and were trying to save sharks from what they believed to be an illegal longline fishing setup. I can’t think of two individuals more deserving of a Presidential Pardon.”

With their records now cleared, Mansell and Moore can once again enjoy the rights and freedoms that were taken from them following their well-intentioned but legally problematic act of marine conservation.