John R. Moore, Jr.

Moore, a diver, was out on the water approximately three miles off Jupiter Inlet, Florida, in August 2020 when he and crew member Tanner Mansell spotted a longline they believed to be an illegal fishing rig. The pair freed the sharks and a grouper caught on the line, reported the incident to state wildlife officials, and brought the line back to shore. The line turned out to belong to a researcher licensed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to catch sharks for scientific purposes. Federal prosecutors charged Moore and Mansell with theft of property within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. § 661, covering theft of property belonging to another within federal maritime jurisdiction. Both were convicted in 2022. The felony convictions barred them from voting in Florida, owning firearms, and traveling freely outside the United States. Moore said he and his attorneys were surprised by the pardon, as they had not petitioned for one.