Conspiracy charges have been filed against 43-year-old Melvin Caldwell Jr., of Neopit; 49-year-old Arthur Fish, of Keshena; 49-year-old Chauncey Webster Jr., of Neopit; 30-year-old Derrin Webster, of Neopit; and 41-year-old Dugan Webster, of Shawano.
Prosecutors say the suspects cut down trees without permission on at least 100 occasions. The saw mills allegedly paid about $400,000 between January 2012 and September 2018 for the timber, which the defendants divided among themselves.
The defendants each face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.