MIAMI, FL – In a shocking case of wildlife trafficking, 40-year-old Michael Hegarty, an Irish national, has pleaded guilty to smuggling a Libation Cup carved from an endangered Rhinoceros horn from the United States to Great Britain.
According to court records, Hegarty and his co-conspirator Richard Sheridan travelled to Miami, Florida from London, England in mid-April 2012. They later joined a Miami resident to attend an auction in Rockingham, North Carolina, where Sheridan made the winning bid for the rhinoceros horn libation cup for $57,500.
On May 3, 2012, the Miami resident sent a wire transfer from a bank account in Miami to the auction house in North Carolina as payment for the Rhino cup. On May 4, 2012, Hegarty instructed an employee of a Federal Express office in North Carolina to pick up the rhinoceros horn libation cup from the auction house and ship it to an address in Florida.
Hegarty and his co-conspirator received the rhinoceros horn libation cup in Florida on May 7, 2012. They assured the Miami resident that it was an excellent investment and that they were experienced in such transactions.
The Endangered Species Act makes it unlawful to knowingly deliver, receive, carry, transport, or ship in interstate or foreign commerce endangered species, including rhinoceros. The law also requires that exporters or their agents file a completed declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish and Wildlife (Form 3-177) upon exportation of any wildlife.
Hegarty’s plea agreement includes a joint factual statement filed by the parties, other court records, and statements at the hearing. The prosecution of Hegarty is part of Operation Crash, a continuing effort by the Special Investigations Unit of the FWS Office of Law Enforcement in coordination with the Department of Justice to detect, deter, and prosecute those engaged in the illegal killing of rhinoceros and the unlawful trafficking of rhinoceros horns.
As part of his plea agreement, Hegarty will face punishment for his crimes. The exact sentence has not yet been announced.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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