A gang of Russians from Wasilla A group of men with Russian names from Wasilla went on a Mike Wooten-like big-game hunt in the Interior last month, and now they're going to pay, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Most Alaskans will remember the name of Alaska State Trooper Wooten, the former in-law of former Gov. Sarah Palin. Wooten got in trouble when he shot a moose for which his wife -- Palin's sister -- held the permit. That is against the law in Alaska.

Wooten never got hauled into court for his illegal hunt, but he did get investigated and reprimanded by his superiors. And the public thrashing he later took was arguably worse punishment than any judgment the courts would have handed down. The state's largest newspaper at one point headlined on its front page Is Wooten a good trooper? PALIN'S EX-BROTHER-IN-LAW: Union says yes, but investigation found serious concerns.

All of which stemmed from Wooten's shooting a moose on a permit awarded his wife, Molly. When the marriage of Wooten and Molly fell apart, Palin tried to get Wooten fired from his job as a trooper for that and what she claimed was more. It was the beginning of what would be a major fall for the once-most-popular governor in state history.

Wooten stayed on with troopers. Popular Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, Wooten's highest supervisor, left. Monegan and Palin argued over why. The Alaska Legislature and the executive branch of state government began dueling investigations of what came to be called "Troopergate."

All over a the shooting of a moose that wouldn't have amounted to much if Wooten had only followed the advice of father-in-law Chuck Heath, Palin's dad, to just keep his mouth shut about who actually shot the animal, because this sort of misuse of hunting permits can get a guy in trouble.

It is, according to a trooper dispatch, what landed Valeriy A. Plotnikov, 25; Andrey P. Bgatov, 26; Pavel Y. Chebukin, 53; and Sergey Chebukin, 58, all of Wasilla, in court.

Troopers report that Plotnikov, Bgatov, and Chebukin each pleaded guilty on Tuesday to "one count of violating permit hunt conditions by transferring their non-transferrable registration caribou hunt permits to another hunter in their group."

That would be Sergey Chebukin. He, according to troopers, pleaded guilty to one count of killing caribou during a closed season.

Troopers said a Tok judge dismissed a second charge of taking an over-limit of caribou, given that although Sergey shot four he really hadn't shot more than his hunting party was allowed. The group collectively did have permits to kill four caribou.

"The hunt occurred during December 2011 near the Taylor Highway in Game Management Unit 20E,'' Troopers reported. "The four members of the hunting party were hunting during a winter, registration caribou permit hunt. The caribou were shot in a closed area and the bag limit was one caribou per hunter."

The three hunters who gave their permits to Sergey were fined $500 each with $250 suspended and placed on probation for six months. Sergey was ordered to pay the state $500.

Given the sentences, Wooten might have been better off if he'd turned himself in after he'd shot Molly's moose, took a $250 fine, and put the issue promptly and firmly behind him.

Alaska Dispatch encourages a diversity of opinion and community perspectives. The opinions expressed herein are those of the contributor and are not necessarily endorsed or condoned by Alaska Dispatch. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com.