A St. Cloud State University Professor has pleaded guilty to smuggling elephant ivory and rhinoceros horns, valued at over $1 million, to China.
Yiwei Zheng, 43, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, admitted to knowingly and fraudulently smuggling elephant ivory out of the United States on April 30, 2011, to a recipient in Shanghai, China, contrary to U.S. smuggling statutes.
Zheng also pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act by knowingly exporting two rhinoceros horns from the U.S. between July 25, 2010 and July 27, 2010, with knowledge that the two rhinoceros horns were transported and sold in violation of the laws and regulations of the United States, including the Endangered Species Act.
As a Professor of Philosophy at St. Cloud State University, Zheng operated an online business known as Crouching Dragon Antiques, where he offered for sale and sold a variety of items, including items made of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn.
The investigation revealed that Zheng purchased the elephant ivory items found in the intercepted shipment through the online auction site eBay and that the value of those items was actually $6,961.41 rather than the $35.00 Zheng declared on the exported shipment.
During the course of the investigation, agents also documented that Zheng purchased two rhinoceros horns from an individual in Florida for more than $20,000 and subsequently smuggled the two rhinoceros horns out of the United States to China where they were ultimately sold at auction for approximately $68,000.
Zheng’s actions are a stark reminder of the devastating impact of wildlife trafficking on endangered species and the importance of protecting our natural resources.
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Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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