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An unsealed indictment charged Dr. John Waldrop, 74, of Cataula, Georgia, and Toney Jones, 53, of Eufaula, Alabama, on conspiracy, smuggling, Endangered Species Act (ESA), and money laundering charges.<\/p>\nAn unsealed indictment charged Dr. John Waldrop, 74, of Cataula, Georgia, and Toney Jones, 53, of Eufaula, Alabama, on conspiracy, smuggling, Endangered Species Act (ESA), and money laundering charges.<\/p>\n
The indictment claims that between January 1, 2016, and December 10, 2020, Waldrop and Jones brought into the country thousands of eggs and hundreds of taxidermy bird mounts, but no live birds.<\/p>\n
The indictment alleges that Waldrop and Jones illegally imported hundreds of taxidermy bird mounts and thousands of eggs into the United States between Jan. 1, 2016, and Dec. 10, 2020; they did not import any live birds.<\/p>\n
The maximum sentence for the smuggling and money laundering charges is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the economic gain or loss.<\/p>\n The conspiracy charge carries a five-year maximum sentence, and the Endangered Species Act is punishable by six months in prison.<\/p>\n U.S. law and regulations require that importers declare wildlife to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Customs authorities.<\/p>\n Permits are also required for wildlife protected by the ESA, Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).<\/p>\n \u201cThis investigation highlights the immense pressure illegal trade places on imperiled bird species around the world, and the Service’s commitment to upholding laws and treaties that prevent the exploitation of foreign and domestic species,\u201d said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the USFWS Office of Law Enforcement. \u201cWe hope this indictment sends a clear message that our investigators will work tirelessly to seek justice for poached wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n The indictment claims that Waldrop and Jones purchased eggs and birds from countries all over the world, including Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay, using internet marketplaces like eBay and Etsy.<\/p>\n Numerous species of protected birds, including the canary, dipper, duck, eagle, falcon, grouse, gull, hawk, heron, hoopoe, kestrel, kinglet, lapwing, murre, owl, parrot, pochard, rail, teal, snipe, spoonbill, vulture, and woodpecker, were imported and amassed by Waldrop and Jones.<\/p>\n The indictment accuses Waldrop and Jones with importing three parcels containing birds and eggs via John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2020 in violation of smuggling and ESA regulations in addition to the conspiracy.<\/p>\n A Levant sparrowhawk, a grasshopper buzzard-hawk, two gull eggs, two murre eggs, and one unidentified bird egg were all included in the parcels.<\/p>\n The last allegation of the indictment claims that Waldrop and Jones planned to launder money by moving money outside of the country to facilitate the smuggling of birds.<\/p>\n Additionally, the accusation demands the seizure of 2,594 eggs and 779 bird mounts that were allegedly brought into the country against the law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An unsealed indictment charged Dr. John Waldrop, 74, of Cataula, Georgia, and Toney Jones, 53, of Eufaula, Alabama, on conspiracy, smuggling, Endangered Species Act (ESA), and money laundering charges. The indictment claims…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-court"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/download-14.jpg\")
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