Federal prosecutors charge 12 hunters in Kansas hunting camp investigation

? Federal prosecutors have charged 12 people in the ongoing investigation of a Kansas camp where hunters paid thousands of dollars to kill deer illegally.

Court records show the U.S. attorney’s office filed a criminal information Thursday against each of the men alleging they violated the Lacey Act. The federal law prohibits interstate transport of any wildlife taken in violation of state regulations.

Some of the defendants are accused of hunting without a valid license. Others are charged with exceeding their bag limit or using guns during archery season.

Two other hunters were indicted last month on charges of hunting illegally at Camp Lone Star, near Coldwater.

Camp owner James Bobby Butler Jr. and his brother, Marlin Butler, both of Martinsdale, Texas, were sentenced to prison in June after pleading guilty to conspiracy and trafficking.