Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Strip club owner says he was unfairly targeted

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Alaska man convicted of illegally dumping human waste into a harbor while operating a floating strip club says he plans to appeal whatever sentence is imposed Friday afternoon.

Hours before his sentencing, Darren Byler says in a phone interview with The Associated Press that he was targeted because of disapproval over his "entertainment charters."

Federal prosecutors are recommending that Byler receive an 18-month prison sentence.

Byler was convicted in 2015 of dumping sewage in violation of the federal Refuse Act and for lying to federal authorities about it. His wife, Kimberly Riedel-Byler, was found not guilty of the same charges.

Prosecutors say Byler piped sewage aboard the 94-foot converted crabbing boat, the "Wild Alaskan," into the harbor near Kodiak in 2014. The Bylers were accused of telling the Coast Guard they were properly disposing of the waste.

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