ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. – A St. Clair County man pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to falsifying records connected to a course he administered to students seeking to become credentialed merchant mariners.
Mel Stackpoole, 62, entered his guilty plea Tuesday (Aug. 12) afternoon to one count of knowingly altering and falsifying records and documents with the intent to impede the proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard.
Recommended Videos
According to court records, Stackpoole was the owner and lead instructor of Great Lakes Charter Training, a marine training school that offered Coast Guard-approved training courses for the issuance of Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC).
In August of 2020, Stackpoole provided the students enrolled in his Master 100 Ton Captain’s Course with less than 50 hours of classroom instruction, rather than the required 80 hours.
He also instructed the students to provide false information regarding their prior sea service, medical history, and recreational drug use on their MMC applications to the Coast Guard.
Furthermore, Stackpoole improperly provided students with answers to certain examination questions, changed students’ incorrect test answers to correct ones, and inflated students’ test scores to reflect passing grades, rather than failing ones.
Stackpoole ultimately issued course completion certificates to the students, falsely signifying their successful completion of the course to the Coast Guard.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18, 2025, at 2 p.m., at which Stackpoole faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.