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A several year investigation by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has ended with numerous convictions. The investigation began in 2022 and was highlighted by 115 charges (81 felonies) amongst 12 different defendants.
Earlier this year, several of the defendants, Austin Zeko, Brian George, and Bobby George took plea deals involving this case. Austin pleaded to three misdemeanor charges in exchange for two felonies being dropped. He received a suspended 90-day jail sentence, unsupervised 3-month probation, restitution, and court fees and a 3-year suspension of his hunting license (but it may be reviewed after one year). Brian and Bobby George also received similar sentences for their guilty pleas.
Poaching Ring – Career Criminals
The defendant, described as the ringleader, was Robert Zeko (Born in 1975). Robert Zeko pleaded guilty to four felony charges in exchange for 22 more felonies and 8 misdemeanors to be dropped. Robert was sentenced to 3 years determinate and 2 years indeterminate in Idaho State Prison, thousands of dollars in restitution and a lifetime suspension of his hunting license.
Nicholas Zeko (Born in 1992) pleaded guilty to 4 felonies and had 6 more felonies and 2 misdemeanors dropped. Nicholas received a 3-year determinate and 2-year indeterminate prison sentence suspended but will serve 90 days in jail as a term of his probation. Nicholas will also have a 3-year felony probation term once released. Nicholas will pay restitution and have a lifetime hunting license suspension. A unique thing about Nicholas is he is no stranger to breaking the law. In September 2023, Nicholas was arrested and charged in Ada County with two felony counts of Burglary and one felony count of Grand Theft. In December 2024, Nicholas pleaded guilty to one count of Burglary and was sentenced to 2 years in State Prison (Determinate) but that prison sentence was also suspended. Nicholas was put on another felony probation and was “required to enroll and complete a course of impulsive behavior therapy.”
This is the type of easy on crime stuff that I am used to seeing in Law Enforcement unfortunately. Another defendant, Bobby “Chuck” Ephrem (Born in 1977 of Oregon) is another guy who is familiar with the criminal justice system. In this case, Bobby was charged with 7 felonies and 3 misdemeanors. Bobby pleaded guilty to 2 of those felonies and had the other charges dropped. Bobby was sentenced to 3 years determinate in state prison with 2 years indeterminate. Bobby has thousands of dollars in fines and a lifetime Hunting License suspension.
While out of jail awaiting trial for this case, Bobby was arrested at least twice in Oregon. In May 2025, Bobby was booked in the Clackamas County Jail on charges of Felony Theft 1st Degree, Felon in Possession of a Weapon, a Wildlife Offense, and Aid in Game/Fish Violation. In August 2025 Bobby was arrested for his Idaho Fugitive Warrant for this case.
Sentencing Too Soft
Some of the defendants in this case should not have had plea deals in my opinion. The soft on crime approach is breeding more of this type of behavior because the risk does not outweigh the reward. These aren’t guys that are forgetting to tag their animal immediately or forget their license in the truck. These are heinous types of crimes that need to be treated as such. The other hunters who wait patiently for an opportunity that these men stole from are the victims here. Hunters need to start voicing their opinions about these light sentences or it will just continue.
These men took numerous trophy mule deer off the landscape in Unit 54 in Idaho. A unit that is very hard to draw. A unit that has very high trophy potential. A unit that was hit hard by the winters over the past several years.
I’ve spoken my piece but do you think the punishment fits the crime in this case?
Castrate the Offenders, one & all !!!
No, the punishment does not fit the crime. I also feel that none of the defendants in this case should have received plea deals, they all
should have been convicted of all the charges and served long prison sentences.
AGREED!
What is the point of suspending their hunting licenses? If they’re poaching, they never had licenses! What a Joke!
Ya gotta wonder who the genius persecutor was that ‘approved’ these wrist slaps.
May the ghosts of Conley Elms and Billy Pogue haunt them all.
All the work and time spent building the case and the prosecutor gives them deals. Bunch or horse shit
Agree the punishment was way too lenient and based on prior history they shouldn’t have had the opportunity to plea down.
Every time I read one of these stories. It just makes me think WTF! They’re not going to do anything to these kind of people. I have been applying for a Big Horn tag in my home state for 26 years and I have been unable to draw a tag. They come down a drink water out of my stock tank every evening that my cattle drink from. I could have killed the whole heard by now but there is NO WAY I ever Would! Frickn Unbelievable! Enough with these People!
I bought a tag this year but with all of the illegal crap and the shoot anything legal mentality in Idaho, I did not get out of my truck. Drove around looking for a place that wasn’t overrun and went home. It stinks that these goons get away so lightly.
The punishment will never fit the crime. Because nothing ever changes. These guys will be back at it as soon as they can. They need the “Book” thrown at’em and made well aware wherever they go. That these are the ones that get away with poaching! They need to be tatoo’ed so everyone knows what they have done.
I’ll bet they didn’t loose their trucks over the deal? Shouldn’t they have “Special” license plates for their vehicles? Enough said.
Glass 1/2 full – we got the convictions for horrible crimes by horrible people. Hopefully stopping more poached animals. Likely younger prosecutors but certainly less paid government prosecutors who have a great interest in their jobs and doing the right thing. Glass 1/2 empty – these are career criminals that have little to loose. Likely underpaid government position, and from my experience not the best talent in those positions. Likely you had to drop some charges to get the convictions without an appeal. The evidence might not have been the strongest even though you know they did it. The burden is beyond a reasonable doubt vs in civil by a preponderance of the evidence ….. so with the risk of loosing the jury or loosing on appeal the prosecutors might be so glad they got the deal done. Yes, light sentence this has bred criminals into our society as we have it now for 40 years. It will take a long road to undo the damage. Thank you EHJ and EBJ.
I agree completely with Rodger’s assessment. But it doesn’t go for just Fish & Game violations. All across Idaho it seems that Judges are allowing criminals convicted of violent crimes to have light sentences or suspended sentences. A suspended sentence to me seems like a slap in the face to the good citizens out here. We are putting our trust in a judges hands that he will take offenders out of the community when they commit a crime that affects us, the general public. But it seems our trust is being abused, and instead the Judge lays down a sentence that sounds just and appropriate for the crime committed, but then they suspend it. In my opinion, that is flat out not justice. And if judges are not going to roll out justice, which is their job, then they should not have be allowed to stay in that roll. If I didn’t do my job, I would get disciplined or fired.
Let them go! What a lot of bull c***. They all need a few years in the State pen. No longer to own a firearm. They need to be made an example of. The judges need to be changed out. A lot of them are voted in every few years. I just got done voting, no on 3 judges that came for election here in Missoula. Probable didn’t make any difference, but I voted.