MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – A San Francisco man who was caught taking abalone out of season three times over a three-week span has been convicted on poaching charges.

Qiong Wang, 32, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy and taking abalone for commercial purposes in Mendocino County Superior Court, according to a report from the California Department of Fish and Game.

Officials said Wang was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation, in addition to being fined $20,000 and forced to forfeit his vehicle and all dive equipment. His fishing license also was revoked for the rest of his life.

Wang illegally took 96 abalone over the course of 17 days in February 2011, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

The last of the three arrests occurred near Van Damme State Park on Feb. 19, just five days after he was released from jail for the last poaching incident, officials said.

Abalone season closed Dec. 1, and did not reopen until April 1, the state reported.

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