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A married couple who trafficked wildlife between Oregon and Vietnam has been sentenced to a $10,000 fine each and three years’ probation.
Kevin Le and Linh Luu from Anaheim, California, pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act when they appeared in federal court in Eugene on October 23.
The trafficked items included cougar bones and American black bear gallbladders shipped from Oregon to Vietnam.
According to court documents, segments of black and white rhinoceros horns, lion teeth, and a tiger pelt were imported to Oregon.
Cougars and Black Bears Are Prized for Use in Traditional Asian Medicine
Cougars and black bears are native to Oregon. They are prized by some for use in traditional Asian medicine.
Lions, tigers, and black and white rhinoceroses are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The couple admitted to the trafficking offenses committed between September 2019 and May 2021, during which time they processed payments of $51,100 to aid an individual in Vietnam.
Court documents reveal that in December 2020, the couple met with an undercover federal agent in a parking lot and accepted a $12,000 cash deposit for a rhino horn segment.
During the rendezvous, the couple discussed how to avoid U.S. banking regulations.
The couple later each received electronic payments amounting to nearly $5,000 for the rhino horn segment, which was disguised as a household decorative item when it was shipped to Oregon.
The wildlife in this case is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which regulates international trade in protected species.
The defendants did not have the required permits.
The oldest wildlife trafficking statute in the U.S. is the Lacey Act, which prohibits buying and selling wildlife illegally imported or exported.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case, together with Homeland Security Investigations and the Oregon State Police.
Prosecutors were Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors and Assistant U.S. Attorney William McLaren.
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