Three members of the same family have been accused of cheating in a major ice fishing competition held in Minnesota.
The organizers of the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza were concerned that some participants were bringing in their own fish to the tournament in order to secure the top prizes for themselves.
Judges were so sure that Ivan, Stephan and Rostik Lyogky, a father, son and relative from Hartville, Ohio were up to no good that they decided to subject them to lie detector tests in the hope they might crack under pressure.
Stephan, left, and Rostik, right, along with Ivan Lyogky had to undergo lie detector tests
12,000 people take part in the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing extravaganza which takes place 10 miles north of Brainerd, Minnesota at Gull Lake
There was concern that the trio were bringing in live fish in order to cheat and break the rules
As it turns out the trio which earned them first, third and 98th places among the 150 prize winners, ended up passing the polygraph tests meaning they will get to keep their prizes which include a GMC pickup and $1,000.
Organizers of the Ice Fishing Extravaganza say they have no closed the investigation into the matter and that there are no suggestions of anything underhand taking place and nothing fishy going on.
The official rules of the contest on Hole-in-the-Day Bay of Gull Lake state the contest judge may require any prize winner to take a polygraph examination.
When asked to submit to a polygraph exam by the review committee, the Lyogkys voluntarily agreed to participate. The Lyogkys were interviewed separately by a licensed polygraph examiner.
Rostik Lyogky along with his father and a family relative were accused of cheating but later cleared
Each of them successfully completed the examination, resulting in them being allowed to claim the winning prizes with the judges satisfied that no deception had taken place.
‘We want everyone to know that we always take matters like this very seriously. We are pleased with the results of this inquiry and appreciate the cooperation of the Lyogky family to ensure to the sporting community that our event is fairly administered,’ stated 2018 event chairn Shane Meyer in a statement to the Star Tribune.
‘We congratulate the Lyogky family, as well as all other anglers that participated in the contest this year. What we do makes such an enormous difference in our community.’
Stephan Lyogky won the new GMC pickup for catching a 3.1-pound northern pike during the three-hour contest.
A hold also was placed on the contest’s third-place prize, a $1,000 check, won by Ivan Lyogky, 52, Stephan’s father, and on the 98th-place prize, a certificate good for an ice auger, won by Rostik Lyogky, 23.
Contest officials confirmed they were investigating whether three men from Ohio, a father, a son and another relative, legitimately caught the fish they say they did, earning first, third and 98th places among the 150 prize winners. In the end, they passed the lie detector tests
Organizers say that cheating would be quite difficult because the fish that are weighed must be kept alive until that point
The Jaycees launched an investigation after anonymous complaints the men might not have legitimately caught the fish they entered although the organizers had no proof anyone cheated.
But breaking the rules of the contest could prove difficult for a number of reasons.
Fish need to be kept alive in order to register to win a prize, so anyone sneaking one in would have to get it into the water without being seen by other anglers or volunteers.
Staff also patrol the contest area to ensure that no live fish are brought in.
In the 28 years the competition has been running on two other anglers have been investigated for possible cheating.
This year Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza was one of the largest in the event’s history and is the largest charitable ice fishing event in the world, generating more than $3.5 million for philanthropic causes since its inception in 1991.