Last fall, I wrote about a controversy at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Championship wherein two anglers — Chase Cominsky of Hermitage, Pa., and Jake Runyan of Cleveland — were indicted for stuffing around 8 pounds of lead and fish fillets inside their five-fish catch.

The men this week pleaded guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals in a plea agreement that will have their fishing licenses suspended for three years, along with Cominsky forfeiting his boat, which is worth an estimated $100,000, according to published reports. Had they not been caught, they would have won about $28,000.

The cheating charge is reportedly a fifth-degree felony, and the unlawful ownership charge is a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped other charges against Cominsky and Runyan, including attempted grand theft and possession of criminal tools. Those charges carry up to 12 months in prison and fines of $2,500 per offense.

It’s believed to be the first ever such legal action in competitive fishing. According to the indictment, the men knowingly engaged in conduct designed to corrupt the outcome of an athletic or sporting event and faced four counts:

(a) one of cheating

(b) one of attempted grand theft

(c) one of possessing criminal tools

(d) one of unlawful ownership of wild animals because of their alleged possession of fish filets

Viral video from the event shows an official slicing open the fish at the weigh-in and removing the lead and fillets. The five fish were confiscated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Cominsky and Runyan must have been navel-gazing. The weight to beat was a respectable 16.89 pounds, but their five fish — each stuffed with more than a pound of lead and fillets to muffle the sound and feel of the lead — tipped the scales at a whopping 33.91 pounds. Ya think an official might’ve smelled something fishy? Duh.

And the Associated Press has reported that court documents reveal Cominsky and Runyan were investigated for cheating allegations at another walleye tournament on Lake Erie, this one last spring, but the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant charges.

The men will appear for sentencing May 11. Prosecutors plan to recommend six months of probation, according to published reports, with an expungement of their convictions if they successfully complete their probation.