Miami Taxidermist Sentenced to 20 Months for Illegally Importing Wildlife
On March 2, 2012, the Justice Department announced that Enrique Gomez De Molina, of Miami Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for illegally trafficking in various endangered and protected wildlife. De Molina was also sentenced to one year of supervised release to follow his prison term, a $6,000 fine and was ordered to forfeit all of the smuggled wildlife in his possession.
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(In order to protect certain species of wildlife against over-exploitation, the U.S. is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty. Before importing a specimen of an animal protected under CITES from any foreign country, a valid foreign CITES export permit from the country of origin, or a CITES re-export certificate from a country of re-export, must be obtained as well as a valid “import permit” from the U.S. Federal law also prohibits the importation of fish or wildlife into the U.S. without proper declaration to both U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS).)
Attempted to Import Protected Wildlife Species without Required Permits
According to documents filed with the court, the defendant attempted to import wildlife species including skins of a Java kingfisher (Halcyon cyanoventris) and a collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris), one mounted lesser bird of paradise (Paradisaea minor), the skin of a juvenile hawk-eagle (Spizaetus sp.), the carcass remnant of a slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and the carcass remnant of a lesser mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus), without proper declarations when imported into the U.S. and without the required permits. In some cases, commercial transactions in listed species, such as the slow loris, are not allowed at all.
Shipments Came from Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Canada, & China
De Molina’s alleged illegal wildlife trafficking activities extended from late 2009 through February 2011, and included numerous species and shipments, involving contacts in Bali, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Canada and China. His activities also included the importation into the U.S. of the parts, skins and remains of species, such as a king cobra, a pangolin, hornbills, birds of paradise, and the skulls of babirusa and orangutans.
Solicited Wildlife Parts or Carcasses from Suppliers via the Internet
Despite the interception of two shipments in late 2009 that were ultimately forfeited by De Molina and abandoned, he continued to solicit protected wildlife from his suppliers via the Internet, and to select specific animals from photographs to be provided to him. The parts or carcasses of the wildlife he selected would then be shipped to him without the permits or declarations required by law. Some of the endangered and protected wildlife he selected was alive at the time it was photographed, including a wooly stork, a slow loris, and a hornbill, and later sent to him dead.
Incorporated Parts of Wildlife into Taxidermy Pieces to Be Sold Online
After receipt, De Molina would incorporate various parts and segments of the wildlife into taxidermy pieces at a studio in downtown Miami. He offered these pieces through galleries and on the Internet for prices ranging up to $80,000. In December 2010, pieces constructed by De Molina were exhibited during Art Basel week at the Scope Art Fair in Miami, resulting in at least one significant sale and the subsequent illegal export of the piece to the Canada.