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Defendant Name, Crime, State Year
RICHARD GONTAREK, 55, a resident of Woodbridge, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to selling carvings made of sperm whale ivory.
Gontarek, a Middlesex County man, was charged with violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that prohibits the sale of wildlife in interstate commerce when the seller should have known that the wildlife was possessed in violation of state law.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Gontarek shipped a package containing a carving made from the tooth of a sperm whale to a buyer in Etter, Pennsylvania, in exchange for payment. The carvings were made from the tooth of a sperm whale, which is listed in Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Lacey Act makes it a crime to sell in interstate commerce wildlife possessed in violation of any state law when in the exercise of due care the seller should have known that the wildlife was possessed in violation of the state law. New Jersey state law makes it unlawful for any person to possess with intent to sell ivory or any item that contains or is made from ivory.
As part of his plea agreement, Gontarek has agreed to pay a fine of $2,800 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lacey Act Reward Fund.
Gontarek faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000 for each of the two counts to which he pleaded guilty. Sentencing is scheduled for January 25, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credits special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Sean Mann, with the investigation leading to Gontarek’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen P. O’Leary of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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