US couple sentenced for helping finance trade in rhino horn, puma bones, other wildlife parts
A federal court in the U.S. has sentenced two residents of the state of California for their roles as financial facilitators in a scheme trafficking wildlife body parts between the U.S. and Vietnam. Linh Luu and Kevin Le, a married couple from Anaheim, were sentenced on Oct. 23 to three years of probation and fined […]
Two California residents, Linh Luu and Kevin Le, were sentenced to probation and fined $10,000 each for their involvement in a wildlife trafficking scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The couple, a married couple from Anaheim, pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act. Between September 2019 and May 2021, they processed $51,100 in payments for the importation of American black bear gall bladders, puma bones, and the exportation of lion teeth, black and white rhino horn pieces, and a tiger pelt.
The sale of rhinos, tigers, and lions is prohibited under CITES, the global wildlife trade treaty, and the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The couple allegedly met with an undercover agent in December 2020 and accepted a $12,000 down payment in cash for a rhino horn while discussing ways to avoid U.S. banking regulations. The horn was later shipped to Oregon disguised as a household item to avoid customs inspections.
U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford stated that dismantling financial facilitators is crucial to fighting wildlife crime, as it threatens vulnerable species and fuels criminal networks profiting from their destruction.
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