Both men admitted in court that between December 1997 and December 1998, they purchased or arranged the purchase of tiger hides from William Kapp of Tingley Park, Ill. Kapp, along with six other men and a Chicago area meat market, were named in a 28-count indictment in May on various wildlife charges by a federal court in Chicago. The charges include the killing, sale and transport of various animals including 17 tigers.
Charges against Foshee, Kruszewski and the Illinois defendants are the result of a lengthy undercover investigation into the illegal trade of tigers, leopards and other animals by special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 18- month investigation, called Operation Snow Plow, resulted in search warrants and interviews being executed in 10 states and the seizure of a warehouse full of wildlife mounts, hides, skulls, bones, weapons and documents. The investigation resulted in federal wildlife charges being filed against 17 individuals and small business owners from Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In January 2001 another Michigan resident, Woody Thompson Jr. of Three Rivers, pleaded guilty to brokering the sale of three tiger skins. Thompson, owner of the Willow Lake Sportsmens Club in Three Rivers, was sentenced to six months home confinement, two years probation, fined $2,000 and order to pay $28,000 to the Save the Tiger Fund.
Tigers are listed as "endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act. The law also protects leopards, which are classified as either "endangered" or "threatened" depending on the location of the wild population. Although federal regulations allow possession of captive-bred tigers, the regulations stipulate activities involving their use must be to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. It is unlawful to kill the animals for profit, or to sell their hides, parts or meats into interstate commerce.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information about programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, visit our website at " facehttp://midwest.fws.gov
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