Boat owner sentenced to federal prison following illegal chartering operation
A boat owner was sentenced to one year in federal prison for illegally chartering a boat through Chicago waterways, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced in a news release.
Christopher Mike Garbowski, 36, conducted his illegal chartering operation on a 40-foot powerboat referred to as the “Sea Hawk” and “Anchorman,” and several of the vessel’s outings took place in “the Playpen” — a heavily populated boating hot spot in downtown Chicago, the statement said. The vessel was not inspected or certified by the U.S. Coast Guard throughout its usage as a commercial vehicle.
The Michigan resident accepted payment to charter passengers between 2017 and 2019 without proper licensing, despite numerous notifications from the Coast Guard that his activities violated federal regulations, the statement said.
During one incident, Garbowski, also known as “Michael Gunnman,” asked passengers to lie to the Coast Guard and claim that they were friends with him in an attempt to verify the illegal operation’s validity, according to the statement.
Garbowski pleaded guilty earlier this year to a felony charge for violating an order of the captain of the port, and on May 30 was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison.
