Latest news with #MichelinoSunseri
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
National Park Service rescinds support of prosecuting runner over 'illegal' shortcut during world record attempt
The National Park Service has withdrawn its support of the prosecution of a ultramarathon runner who took an 'illegal' shortcut while attempting to break a world record. Michelino Sunseri, 32, a bartender and professional mountain runner, completed a blistering round-trip of Wyoming 's Grand Teton on September 2, 2024, finishing the grueling 13.2-mile route in just two hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds. But, shortly after crossing the finish line, his triumph unraveled - not due to injury, but because of a small off-trail shortcut captured by his Strava GPS tracker. The single switchback cut, a violation of National Park Service rules, landed Sunseri in legal hot water and cost him official recognition for what would have been a new fastest known time. According to park officials, the infraction occurred during his record-breaking descent, when Sunseri deviated from the designated trail by cutting across a switchback - a maneuver intended to save seconds but prohibited to prevent erosion in the fragile alpine environment. The detour was logged on his GPS watch and uploaded to Strava - a social fitness platform used by runners, cyclists, and hikers - effectively documenting his own violation. Grand Teton National Park rangers later cited the Idaho native for 'traveling off designated trails,' a federal petty offense. Prosecutors offered him a misdemeanor guilty plea for the citation, which carries up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. But now the NPS has u-turned, court filings unearthed by a Freedom of Information Act show, according to Jackson Hole News & Guide. Frank Lands, the National Park Service's deputy director of operations, told an Interior Department attorney, Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins and others that the NPS was 'withdrawing its criminal prosecution referral', the filings show. 'We believe that the previously offered punishment, a five-year park ban and fine, is an overcriminalization based on the gravity of the offense,' Lands wrote on May 19 - the day before Sunseri's bench trial. 'Therefore, we withdraw our support [for Sunseri's prosecution].' However, prosecutors were not convinced to change course, and Nicole Romine, chief of the District of Wyoming's criminal division, told the NPS they would be 'continuing with the prosecution'. has approached the National Park Service for comment. Sunseri pleaded not guilty and plans to contest the charge, WyoFile reported. Earlier this spring, attorneys representing the park offered Sunseri a five-year ban from Grand Teton as part of a settlement. But he declined. 'Definitely not,' he told SFGATE in February. 'That's crazy.' He also proposed volunteer trail work and soil rehabilitation as alternatives, but the park reportedly rejected those offers. 'I'm feeling a little confused that this is even happening,' Sunseri said. Yet, the fallout following his run was swift. rejected his submission, citing the off-trail violation and affirming its commitment to park rules. 'Any future attempts to cut switchbacks will result in complete rejection,' the site now states. The North Face, which sponsors the self-proclaimed 'mountain ninja,' deleted a post congratulating him on achieving an 'impossible dream,' though he remains sponsored. The experienced trail runner argues he followed the path used by six of the last seven record holders: an old climber's trail described as 'a hard-packed, well-traveled and historically significant trail below the mouth of Garnet Canyon.' Sunseri has also contended that the NPS' enforcement rests on two small, poorly visible signs - one 'hidden in sagebrush' and the other 'behind a pine tree' - according to a petition started by friend Connor Burkesmith. 'Despite consistent public use of the trail over the last three decades, no one else was prosecuted,' the petition reads. The petition, calling for charges to be dropped, has since garnered over 2,000 signatures. 'It is frankly ridiculous that the NPS is hanging a criminal charge over his head,' one supporter wrote. But not all are sympathetic, some environmental advocates and trail runners insist that rules are there for a reason. 'It was a very public violation of NPS regulations, shared in such a public way by this influencer and sponsored athlete in association with his effort to achieve the fastest known time goal,' Grand Teton spokesperson Emily Davis said. What could have been a career-defining achievement has instead become a cautionary tale for the ultrarunner. 'I don't think I'd wish this on my worst enemy,' he told SFGATE. 'I'm being prosecuted by the federal government for trail running. I don't stand by that anymore, no.'
Fox News
2 days ago
- Fox News
BRETT TOLMAN: Mountain runner facing prison for using trail bureaucrats secretly deemed off-limits
Picture this: you lace up your shoes, take a breath of fresh mountain air, and hit the trail in the Grand Tetons National Park. You complete a legendary speed record in the world of ultra-running, and fellow runners are celebrating you. Then, you're slapped with a federal crime. Sounds like a joke, right? Sadly, it's real—and it's happening now to Michelino Sunseri, a 32-year-old bartender and record-setting mountain runner. Sunseri ran a trail that hundreds if not thousands before him had done: he took a well-worn trail, one that's been used for decades by hikers, climbers, and runners alike. There was no gate. No park ranger stopping people. Just a tiny sign about "erosion" half-hidden in the sagebrush. But that was enough for the National Park Service to charge him with a federal crime. Now, Sunseri is looking at up to $5,000 in fines, a possible six months in federal prison, and worst of all—a permanent criminal record. To add insult to injury, he could also be banned from the Grand Tetons National Park, the mountains he loves, for the next five years. This isn't justice. This is overcriminalization. Sunseri should not be a criminal. He didn't vandalize or hurt anyone. He ran a trail. He did not damage the trail, and he was open about it. He posted his record-breaking run on a digital app, and that's when government bureaucrats decided to make an example of him. When federal bureaucrats act as lawmaker, judge, and jury, there's little any of us can do. As a former federal prosecutor, I can tell you that the Department of Justice wins 90% of its cases. And too often, there is no common sense, no grace, no understanding. Just raw, unchecked power. And here's the truth: it can happen to you. When the government creates a maze of vague rules and hidden signs and then prosecutes people who violate them without knowing and without intent, it's not justice. It's about power and control. Sunseri's case is a warning to all of us. It shows what happens when Americans are expected to follow rules they can't even see. No one in the entire federal government keeps track of them all, but we estimate there are more than 300,000 federal statutes and regulations that carry federal criminal penalties. And remember, once convicted of a federal crime there is no expungement of your record. Even if you're pardoned, your criminal record follows you for a lifetime and prevents opportunities for housing, education and employment. Sunseri's case isn't about a trail. It's about the growing divide between everyday citizens and an out-of-touch bureaucracy that thinks it knows best. It's about the erosion of liberty in the name of government authority. We cannot sit back and let this continue. Government overreach is real, and this case is Exhibit A. We need laws written by elected lawmakers—not unaccountable federal agencies. We need clarity, not hidden signs and gotcha rules. And above all, we need a justice system that remembers the difference between a criminal—and a man who just loves to run in the mountains where he lives.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Hunky athlete raced up and down iconic national park mountain... then his Strava tracker got him in BIG trouble
A breathtaking ascent, followed by a lightning-fast descent, ended not in glory but in a courtroom for a well-known North Face-sponsored ultrarunner. Michelino Sunseri, 32, a professional mountain runner, completed a blistering, record-setting, round-trip of Wyoming 's Grand Teton on September 2, 2024, finishing the grueling 13.2-mile route in just two hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds. But, shortly after crossing the finish line, his triumph unraveled - not due to injury, but because of a small off-trail shortcut captured by his Strava GPS tracker. The single switchback cut, a violation of National Park Service rules, landed Sunseri in legal hot water and cost him official recognition for what would have been a new fastest known time. According to park officials, the infraction occurred during his record-breaking descent, when Sunseri deviated from the designated trail by cutting across a switchback - a maneuver intended to save seconds but prohibited to prevent erosion in the fragile alpine environment. The detour was logged on his GPS watch and uploaded to Strava - a social fitness platform used by runners, cyclists, and hikers - effectively documenting his own violation. Grand Teton National Park rangers later cited the Idaho native for 'traveling off designated trails,' a federal petty offense. Prosecutors offered him a misdemeanor guilty plea for the citation, which carries up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. However, Sunseri pleaded not guilty and was set to appear in court on Tuesday to contest the charge, WyoFile reported. Earlier this spring, attorneys representing the park offered Sunseri a five-year ban from Grand Teton as part of a settlement. But he declined. 'Definitely not,' he told SFGATE in February. 'That's crazy.' He also proposed volunteer trail work and soil rehabilitation as alternatives, but the park reportedly rejected those offers. 'I'm feeling a little confused that this is even happening,' Sunseri said. Yet, the fallout following his record-setting run was swift. rejected his submission, citing the off-trail violation and affirming its commitment to park rules. 'Any future attempts to cut switchbacks will result in complete rejection,' the site now states. The North Face, which sponsors the self-proclaimed 'mountain ninja,' deleted a post congratulating him on achieving an 'impossible dream,' though he remains sponsored. The experienced trail runner argues he followed the path used by six of the last seven record holders: an old climber's trail described as 'a hard-packed, well-traveled and historically significant trail below the mouth of Garnet Canyon.' Sunseri has also contended that the NPS' enforcement rests on two small, poorly visible signs - one 'hidden in sagebrush' and the other 'behind a pine tree' - according to a petition started by friend Connor Burkesmith. 'Despite consistent public use of the trail over the last three decades, no one else was prosecuted,' the petition reads. The petition, calling for charges to be dropped, has since garnered over 2,000 signatures. 'It is frankly ridiculous that the NPS is hanging a criminal charge over his head,' one supporter wrote. But not all are sympathetic, some environmental advocates and trail runners insist that rules are there for a reason. 'It was a very public violation of NPS regulations, shared in such a public way by this influencer and sponsored athlete in association with his effort to achieve the fastest known time goal,' Grand Teton spokesperson Emily Davis said. What could have been a career-defining achievement has instead become a cautionary tale for the ultrarunner. 'I don't think I'd wish this on my worst enemy,' he told SFGATE. 'I'm being prosecuted by the federal government for trail running. I don't stand by that anymore, no.'
