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The police in Provo Utah smelled something fishy…literally. The Provo Police recently investigated a young man for intentionally taping dead fish to ATMs in Utah—and in one case, in Japan. 

The culprit posted photos and videos of fish taped to ATMs on Instagram, under an account known as “The Fish Bandit.” The prank, if that’s what you want to call it, was shockingly bizarre—and simple. The Fish Bandit simply used duct tape to attach fish, including trout, crappie, bluegill, catfish, and carp, to the screens of ATM and the bathroom stall of a Bass Pro Shops location. In one case, the boy also taped several trout to a police car

According to KSL5, the Provo Police used a search warrant to figure out the true identity of the Fish Bandit. As a result, a 17-year-old boy, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was referred to the 4th District Juvenile Court for two misdemeanor counts for property damage. He taped the fish to the ATMs from August through November 2023. 

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The Provo Police said that they do not know where or how the culprit acquired the fish involved in his elaborate prank gone wrong. As such, it’s not immediately clear if he could face any additional charges in relation to the state’s wanton waste law, which prohibits the waste of wildlife.