Auction House President Pleads Guilty to Illegal Wildlife Smuggling

Boynton Beach’s Elite Estate Buyers Inc., also known as Elite Decorative Arts, and its President Christopher Hayes have been hit with a $1.5 million fine after pleading guilty in an illegal wildlife smuggling conspiracy. According to the U.S. District Court in Miami, the company and Hayes were caught selling endangered black rhino horns, elephant ivory, and coral that had been smuggled from the United States to China.

Hayes, along with his company, sold six endangered black rhino horns, including two for $80,500 to a Texas resident involved in smuggling. They also consigned two horns to an undercover Fish and Wildlife Service agent and directed foreign buyers to use false paperwork for shipping.

The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden, and Director Dan Ashe of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The case is part of Operation Crash, an ongoing effort to combat illegal rhinoceros horn and wildlife trafficking.

Elite Estate Buyers Inc. admitted to aiding foreign buyers by directing them to third-party shipping stores with false paperwork. ‘Not only did Hayes and his company illegally profit from obtaining rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, but his greed and indifference contributed to the senseless slaughter of these animals,’ said U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer.

Assistant Attorney General Cruden emphasized the role of auction houses and art galleries in preventing extinction by adhering to wildlife protection laws. ‘This prosecution is the result of a sophisticated investigation into every aspect of the illegal wildlife trade, and we will hold all law violators fully accountable,’ he said.

FWS Director Dan Ashe highlighted the international nature of the problem, noting that U.S. citizens are involved in the illegal trade both here and abroad. ‘We will continue to work with international law enforcement agencies to apprehend and bring to justice those whose callous disregard threatens the survival of the world’s wildlife heritage,’ Ashe said.