Pool Cue Kingpin Sentenced in Ivory Smuggling Scheme

LOS ANGELES – Cesar Ernesto Gutierrez, 75, of North Hollywood, is paying the price for a high-end hustle gone wrong. The custom pool cue maker was sentenced this morning on federal charges stemming from a brazen attempt to smuggle protected African elephant ivory to Taiwan. Gutierrez received two years of probation, including four months of home confinement, and was ordered to immediately fork over a $10,000 criminal fine.

Gutierrez pleaded guilty on August 29, 2016, to aiding and abetting the attempted smuggling. Court documents paint a picture of a craftsman catering to a dark market. Gutierrez, operating as Ginacue, manufactured and sold approximately 41 sections of custom pool cues inlaid with the illegal ivory to two Taiwanese nationals: Huang Ching Liu and Wen Shou Wei Chen. These weren’t cheap cues – the pair allegedly dropped between $75,000 and $85,000 on the illicit goods.

The scheme unraveled at Los Angeles International Airport. Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discovered the ivory-laden pool cues packed in Liu and Chen’s luggage. Both men were immediately arrested and indicted separately. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was a calculated effort to bypass international laws protecting endangered species.

“The protection of our endangered wildlife is an ongoing international concern, particularly with the devastating impact on African elephants caused by illegal ivory trafficking,” stated United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. The sentiment rings hollow to some, given the continued demand and the sheer scale of the poaching crisis. But Decker’s office is attempting to send a message: profiting from the slaughter of these animals carries serious consequences.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spearheaded the investigation, with crucial assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant United States Attorney Amanda M. Bettinelli, of the Environmental and Community Safety Crimes Section, prosecuted the case. While Gutierrez avoided prison time, the sentence serves as a warning to others tempted to exploit endangered species for profit. The feds are watching, and they’re willing to come down hard on those who think they can beat the system.

This case highlights the complex network involved in illegal wildlife trade. It’s not just about the poachers in Africa; it’s about the manufacturers, the exporters, and the buyers who create the demand. While Liu and Chen face their own legal battles, Gutierrez’s sentencing is a small victory in the ongoing war against ivory trafficking – a war where the stakes are nothing less than the survival of an iconic species.

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