Environmental Crimes Bulletin April 2024 Week 4

Here is a concise summary of the provided document:

United States v. Corey Potter, et al.: Prosecutors charged the owners and captains of two crab catching vessels with illegally transporting crab from Alaska, violating the Lacey Act. The vessels harvested over 7,000 pounds of king crab, including infected crab with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS). The defendants could have avoided the issue by landing the crab in Alaska, allowing authorities to inspect and remove infected crab.

United States v. Gzuniga Ltd., et al.: A luxury handbag company, its founder, and associate were sentenced for illegally importing merchandise from Colombia, made from protected wildlife. The company was ordered to forfeit handbags and implement a compliance plan.

United States v. Jason Martin, et al.: Jason Martin was sentenced for conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, transporting live white-tailed deer from Louisiana to Mississippi without documentation.

United States v. Willie Russell, et al.: Willie Russell pleaded guilty to exhibiting dogs in an animal fighting venture, refereeing a dog fight event that authorities disrupted.

United States v. Rafael Gutierrez-Galvan, et al.: Two defendants were sentenced for selling protected wildlife, including a margay cub and a jaguar cub, without proper documentation.

United States v. David C. Noble: David C. Noble was sentenced for conspiring to engage in, create, and distribute animal crush videos, participating in an online chat group that funded the production of animal abuse videos.

United States v. Pedro Luis Bones-Torres: Pedro Luis Bones-Torres pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act for illegally constructing and depositing material into the wetlands and waters of the United States in Puerto Rico.