The divers were convicted of theft after pulling this line from the waters of Jupiter Inlet. Photo: Florida Southern District Court
President Trump has pardoned two divers from South Florida after they were convicted of theft. The divers freed 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a longline off the Jupiter Inlet in August of 2020.
Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr. were convicted in 2022, and their pardons were signed at the end of March, 2025.
“We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed,” Moore’s attorney, Marc Seitles, said in a statement for the media. “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.”
Moore and Mansell were working on a shark-diving charter boat when they spotted what they thought was an illegal longline. The fishing line consists of a single long line with shorter lines and baited hooks strung out along it. They are frequently used in deep sea fishing operations. Depending on the target species, they can be anchored to the bottom, set at midwater depth, or floated on the surface.
After the pair freed the sharks and grouper, they brought the line back to shore and reported their actions to state wildlife officials. Shortly afterwards, Federal prosecutors charged the men with theft, since the fishing line belonged to a fisherman who was licensed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to catch sharks for research purposes.
In court, Moore and Mansell were convicted by a jury and all their subsequent appeals were denied. Although they weren’t sent to prison, they had to pay a fine of $3,343.72 and their felony convictions came with all the usual things felony convictions come with — no firearms, no traveling outside of the United States, and they weren’t able to vote in Florida. The Presidential pardon erases all of that.
“This case never should have been filed,” Mansell’s attorney, Ian Goldstein, said in a statement. “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.”
Mansell told the Palm Beach Post that their intentions were good and he was happy to be pardoned by Trump.
“Whether people believe in his politics or not, he chose to pardon me – somebody who deeply cares for the environment and only ever wanted to help,” he said. “I can’t help but feel extremely grateful.”
