Floating strip club owner says he was unfairly targeted

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska man convicted of illegally dumping human waste into a harbor from his floating strip club said he plans to appeal whatever sentence is imposed Friday afternoon.

Hours before his sentencing following his conviction on federal charges that could land him in prison, Darren Byler claimed in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that he was targeted because of disapproval over the business he ran on the 94-foot "Wild Alaskan," a converted crabbing boat.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Reardon denied in an interview that Byler was targeted because of his business and said evidence showed the U.S. Coast Guard tried to work with Byler to bring his waste disposal practices into compliance.

According to prosecutors, Byler piped raw sewage from Wild Alaskan bathrooms into the harbor near Kodiak in 2014 instead of taking it 3 miles offshore and told the Coast Guard that the waste had been disposed of properly.