(Editor’s note: Video of the discovery of weights in the fish appears in the video below. Although the video has been edited to bleep out profanities, you can still make some out. Viewer discretion is advised)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Prosecutors in Cleveland are investigating an apparent cheating scandal during a lucrative walleye fishing tournament over the weekend on Lake Erie.
A Twitter video shows Jason Fischer, tournament director for the Lake Erie Walleye Trail event, on Friday cutting open walleye and finding lead weights and prepared fish filets inside the winning catch of five fish to bolster their weight.
Anglers Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky were disqualified.
RELATED: The Great Outdoors: Removing invasive fish species from Crane Prairie
Messages seeking comment were left Monday with Runyan, Cominsky and Fischer.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources says ODNR officers gathered evidence. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley in a statement said “these individuals will be held accountable.”
