Editor’s note: In the spring 2025 issue of Free Society, Cato’s Clark Neily profiled Tanner Mansell and John Moore—two Florida shark-diving guides who were federally prosecuted and branded as felons for an honest mistake. Mansell and Moore were leading a tour in August 2020 when they came across a longline fishing line with dozens of sharks hooked. Believing it was set by poachers, they called law enforcement to report what they found, then cut the sharks loose and hauled in the line, but later learned that the line was authorized by a rarely issued federal permit.
Moore and Mansell were charged with felony theft and convicted at trial by a seemingly hesitant jury that sent seven notes to the judge, including one saying they were “still very divided.” Neily, senior vice president for legal studies at Cato, and legal fellow Mike Fox filed an amicus brief during the appeal that argued the jury was never properly instructed on the definition of “theft” or how to assess the reasonableness of Mansell and Moore’s actions. Fox also testified about the case before Congress during a hearing about overcriminalization.
In late May, President Trump pardoned Moore and Mansell. A White House spokesperson told Free Society that the case is “a prime example of ridiculous government overreach.”
Tanner Mansell’s mom, Jodi Mansell, sent Clark Neily the following letter to thank him for his cover story. We are publishing it in full with her blessing.
