A Birmingham, Mich., man was sentenced to pay a $15,000 fine and $10,000 in restitution in the form of a community service contribution as part of a plea bargain for violating the federal Endangered Species Act. James Taylor was ordered on April 30 to pay the fines and also forfeited 70 items made from endangered species that were seized from Taylor's business in May 2003.
An investigation headed by special agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in early 2003 determined Taylor unlawfully imported items made from shells of endangered sea turtles and from elephant ivory for commercial purposes. The Service found Taylor made annual trips to England, bringing back items made from hawksbill sea turtle shell and elephant ivory, which he then sold at his Birmingham business, Jim and Dede Taylor Antiques.
Sea turtles and elephants are protected under the U.S Endangered Species Act, which restricts importation and commercial use of protected species. Sea turtles and elephants are also listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty signed by 170 nations that seeks to closely regulate trade in species that are threatened by commercial use. Violation of the Endangered Species Act carries with it a maximum penalty of $100,000 in fines and up to one year in prison.
Taylor's $10,000 restitution will go to the Detroit Zoological Society's endangered species program. Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assisted in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by the U.S Attorneys Office and the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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