Michael Polenske, Wildlife Trafficking, California 2015

Wildlife Trafficking Scandal Rocks Napa Valley: Michael Polenske Pleads Guilty

San Francisco, CA – In a shocking turn of events, Michael Polenske, the 53-year-old owner of Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, a fine art and antique gallery as well as a wine tasting collective in Yountville, California, pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking and conspiracy in federal court yesterday.

According to court documents, Polenske admitted to conspiring to sell protected wildlife between 2007 and 2011, specifically trafficking a sea turtle shell protected by the Endangered Species Act in September 2011. He also admitted to selling and purchasing other protected wildlife items, including whale bones, orca jaws, and a seal head.

Polenske further admitted to importing the protected wildlife items into the United States from European vendors using false labels, with the assistance of international shipping company Hedley’s Humpers, Ltd. This action violated the Endangered Species Act, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The United States charged Polenske with one count of conspiracy to traffic and smuggle wildlife, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and one count of wildlife trafficking, in violation of 16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(1) and 3373(d)(2). Hedley’s Humpers, Ltd. pleaded guilty to wildlife smuggling based on false labeling in connection with Polenske’s imports in March 2015.

Polenske’s sentencing is scheduled for November 13, 2015, at 10:30 a.m., before the Honorable Joseph C. Spero, U.S. Magistrate Judge, in San Francisco. The plea agreement specifies that Polenske will pay $63,231.68 in fines, but does not resolve the amount of time, if any, Polenske will serve in prison. The maximum statutory prison term for violations of 16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(1) and 3373(d)(2) and 18 U.S.C. § 371 is one year imprisonment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hartley M.K. West is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Border Enforcement Security Task Force.

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