This has to suck.

[Jim]

I just saw this on News 12 in Westchester.


http://westchester.news12.com/josep...-guilty-to-smuggling-coral-into-u-s-1.4821745

 

[SteveZ15]

these laws are messed up he faces 20 years,I know people who did less time for much worse crime

 

[dacaptain78]

500k and 20 years? What did he do pack the corals in kilo's of cocaine before he shipped them?

 

[jhart]

1/2 million in fines and 20 years in jail , for 12 pieces of coral.. OUR COUNTRY IS Nucking Futs.. You can kill someone and do less time. You can sell Crack, and kill someone and not pay a dime and only do 5 years in jail. Our judicial system needs some real looking into. I am sick after watching that. Oh and if you have a public defender you might get 6 months but if your a little wealthy Your screwed .

 

[evoIX_Reefer]

I bet the oil companies didn't even have to worry about "jail" time for their dangerous acts.

Also, what a slap on the wrist for the US Government for the ship that hit the reef in Philippines and give them some aid? WTH that sh*t don't fix everything.

Only problem I see is that they were "endangered". Depending on his intentions, then I would hope he planned on doing a huge aquaculture.

 

[Jim]

This country's penal codes are way out of whack.

 

[jhart]

Well read this , That guy is an Idiot anyhow, but the fines and jail term is insane.. a mental evaluation wtf.

http://www.lohud.com/article/201210...ck-man-accused-smuggling-live-coral-into-U-S-


http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/03/11/live-exotic-creatures-sold-for-hundreds-thousands-da-says/

 

[Jan]

Wow!!! That's just horrible. It looks like they're making an example of him.

 

[reefs4life]

I don't feel too sorry for him considering he clearly stated he knew what he was doing although the consequences are far greater than what was actually done.

And it's also stupid considering the new import law that was passed...they worry about 12 pieces of 'endangered' coral being 'smuggled' yet they pay no mind to the fact that the new law will endanger hundreds of thousands more corals, as well as fish, if shipments end up arriving passed they're strict BS time frame. They should throw themselves in their own jails for giving that the chance of even remotely happening, nonetheless that it will happen often from now on unless something is done.

 

[jackson6745]

Ridiculous

 

[peteyboyny]

Anyone know which "endangered" coral they were? Regardless, you dont mess with ANY endangered species. They are listed that way for a reason. Yes, yes I know...he intended to aquaculture, but there are proper channels to go through to do that. It would be like sneaking a Bengal tiger cub out of India for thw purpose of breeding. JMO.

 

[prattreef]

This is absurd. It is 12 pieces of Dendrophyllia Yup, that not so uncommon coral. ALL of it is illegal in this country. The penalty here is bizarrely out of whack. But then again., the news coverage of this case has also been really shoddy and factually absurd. I'm not 100% convinced this sentence is accurate.

 

[marrone]

It up to 20 years, which is probably the maximum he could get on each charge separately, though it will be a lot less and they'll run concurrently. The $500k sounds wrong but the fine could have been based on each item, which in this case there are 12 item which comes out to roughly $40k each. The thing is that it may seem excessive but if the penalties aren't high enough people will do these things without blinking an eye, as the reward well out ways the penalty.

 

[prattreef]

Any report I just read says " up to $500,000 and 20 yrs." He hasn't actually been sentenced yet.

 

[Jan]

Due in court October 24th
http://www.lohud.com/article/201210...ack-man-accused-smuggling-live-coral-into-U-S-

 

[masterswimmer]

Due in court October 24th
http://www.lohud.com/article/201210...ack-man-accused-smuggling-live-coral-into-U-S-

Jan, the article you linked was the original arrest notification on Oct. 10, 2012. His first court date was Oct 24, 2012. The verdict was rendered this past week. Sentencing will be in a couple of months.

 

[Jan]

Duh! Sorry about that. Thanks for letting me know. Brain still in a fog from not finishing my coffee.

Jan, the article you linked was the original arrest notification on Oct. 10, 2012. His first court date was Oct 24, 2012. The verdict was rendered this past week. Sentencing will be in a couple of months.

 

[vio]

it up to 20 years, which is probably the maximum he could get on each charge separately, though it will be a lot less and they'll run concurrently. The $500k sounds wrong but the fine could have been based on each item, which in this case there are 12 item which comes out to roughly $40k each. The thing is that it may seem excessive but if the penalties aren't high enough people will do these things without blinking an eye, as the reward well out ways the penalty.

+1.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

It's not just a U.S. based offense at this point and offenses of this nature are taken very seriously because a lot of them don't get caught. When they catch someone they make an example of them to give the rest something to think about. The other reason is, what would other countries say if we just gave our citizens a slap on the wrist for importing their illegal animals? He hasn't been sentenced though so who knows what he'll actually get but the maximums are set for a good reason.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

They do like to make examples of people. I know a guy who was arrested for "smuggling endangered orchids". He was an orchid importer and seller, with contacts in South America. He imported a bunch of plants from a well known grower in Ecuador, which included some Phragmipedium. These are CITES App 1 plants. Illegal if collected, but perfectly legal if propagated, with documentation. To make a long story short, he told the supplier to mislabel the plants, to avoid all the paperwork. The "endangered" plants were really pretty common, inexpensive plants. (All the orchids in the genus are App 1, even though some are common.) All he did was cut some corners (illegally) to bring in some perfectly legal plants. Despite admitting to the crime, having a clean record, being 65 years old and in poor health, he was sentenced to nearly 2 years in jail, which he served.