Richard Sheridan, Wildlife Trafficking, Florida 2019
MIAMI – In a shocking display of greed, Richard Sheridan, 50, an Irish national from Cottenham, Cambridge, United Kingdom, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for his role in trafficking a libation cup made from the horn of a protected rhinoceros.
On August 29, 2019, Sheridan was arraigned in federal court in Miami, Florida, on a May 15, 2014, indictment that charged him and Michael Hegarty, also an Irish national, with conspiracy to traffic in a libation cup made from the horn of a protected rhinoceros.
According to the indictment and a Joint Factual Statement signed by the parties, in 2012, Sheridan and Hegarty purchased a rhinoceros horn libation cup from an auction house in Rockingham, North Carolina, and then smuggled the cup out of the United States.
For his crimes, Sheridan was sentenced to 14 months in prison and two years of supervised release. This sentence is a stark reminder of the consequences of wildlife trafficking and the importance of international cooperation in combating this crime.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida commended the agencies and investigators on both sides of the Atlantic who worked together to make this result a reality.
Sheridan's sentencing is a significant victory for wildlife conservation efforts and serves as a warning to those who would seek to profit from the demise of our planet's most endangered species.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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