State Police Fish & Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division has named Mihnea Moga as Prosecutor of the Year for 2023. The Oregon Hunters Association provided a framed wildlife print during a ceremony at the Oregon District Attorney Association Summer Conference in Seaside earlier this month.

Moga, former Deputy District Attorney (DDA) for Columbia County, graduated from Willamette University College of Law and has a long-standing dedication to Oregon’s natural resources. Moga included classes on wildlife conservation in his studies and learned everything he could about how to follow unconventional evidence to prosecute poaching cases.

“I appreciate and would do anything to preserve Oregon’s natural resources,” DDA Moga said, “Seeing people who don’t follow the law infuriates me. With all the people who go through the process and get the permits to do it, why should those who don’t follow those regulations not be punished for it? Ethical hunters are enraged when they find people who break laws.”

In one notable case, Moga prosecuted three men who poached five sturgeon in Scappoose Bay in 2022. Two teenagers became local heroes after they called the Turn In Poachers TIP Line to report men in a boat catching and keeping sturgeon in the popular waterway.

After several days of surveillance, OSP F&W Sr. Trooper Justin Morgan and Trooper Scott Bernardi approached the men who were moored at the dock. Several ropes tied to the dock went underwater, and when the Troopers lifted the ropes, they found four large sturgeon, including a female more than seven feet long and likely about 80 years old. They found a five-foot-long sturgeon in the boat.

All of the fish were still alive and released back into the bay. The teenage boys, who were bank fishing when they witnessed the crime, received accolades and a cash reward from the Oregon Hunters Association for their quick thinking and courage.

The case reached Columbia County courts in 2023. Moga secured penalties including 20 days in jail for the primary offender, a combined $6,750 in fines and restitution for all three men, forfeiture of equipment, probation, and community service. All three lost their fishing rights for three years.

The case brings attention to ongoing plights of fish and wildlife, and the efforts of those charged with maintaining them. Prosecuting fish and wildlife crimes is difficult, according to ODFW Director, Debbie Colbert.

“It requires specific evidence collection, persistence, and awareness of nuances of these crimes,” she said, “This award is not easily won, and we thank DDA Moga for his dedication to protecting Oregon’s fish and wildlife for future generations.”

Now a DDA for Multnomah County, Moga is proud of the cooperation and teamwork he establishes with Troopers. He credits those relationships as key to successfully prosecuting poaching crimes.

“They are knowledgeable and helpful, and after working with them I have nothing but high praise for every trooper who investigates this kind of crime.”

DDA Moga receives high praise from OSP F&W Division members and others in law enforcement who described him as dedicated to natural resource protection and valuable to furthering the Fish & Wildlife Division mission. He goes above and beyond in his dedication to natural resource prosecution by being readily available to the field force.

Sergeant Joe Warwick, based at the Astoria/Warrenton command center, describes Moga as, “One of the best prosecuting attorneys I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my 15 years as a member of the Fish and Wildlife Division.”

The Protect Oregon’s Wildlife- Turn In Poachers Campaign educates the public on how to recognize and report poaching. This campaign is a collaboration among state agencies, sportsmen, and other conservationists, landowners, and recreationists to engage the public in combatting Oregon’s poaching problem. Our goal is to: Incentivize reporting on wildlife crimes through the TIP Line; Strengthen enforcement by increasing the number of OSP Fish and Wildlife Troopers, and Support prosecution in becoming an effective deterrent. The campaign helps to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitat for the enjoyment of present and future generations.