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Published Florida, United StatesUpdated

Trump pardons 2 divers who freed 19 sharks off the coast of Florida

  • In August 2020, two South Florida shark divers discovered a longline approximately three miles off Jupiter Inlet, where they released 19 sharks and a grouper before retrieving the fishing gear and bringing it ashore.
  • They believed the longline was an illegal fishing setup, but it belonged to a NOAA-licensed fisherman authorized to catch sharks for research, leading to their theft charges and conviction in 2022.
  • The men avoided prison but received felony convictions, one year probation, and restitution of $3,343.72 to the fisherman whose equipment was damaged, which blocked their voting, firearm ownership, and travel rights.
  • President Donald Trump granted Moore and Mansell full and unconditional pardons on a Wednesday in 2025, with their attorneys calling the prosecution unjust and praising the White House decision.
  • The pardons erased the convictions, restoring the divers' rights, and ended a legal battle viewed by their lawyers as government overreach despite the men’s honest intent to save sharks.
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74 Articles

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Left
16
Center
43
Right
5
Lean Left

The pardon is especially notable because Trump has a well-documented history of shark aversion

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Bias Distribution

  • 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
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Tampa Bay Times broke the news in Tampa, United States on Monday, June 2, 2025.
Sources are mostly out of United States (47)
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