New York Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Role in Rhinoceros Horn Smuggling Conspiracy
A New York antiques dealer was sentenced to 37 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle artifacts made from rhinoceros horns and ivory in violation of wildlife trafficking laws, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on Dec. 5. Qiang Wang, aka Jeffery Wang, pleaded guilty in August to charges that he conspired with others to export libation cups carved from rhinoceros horns to Hong Kong and China, without declaring them to CBP or the Fish and Wildlife Service (see 13080914).
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According to the U.S. attorney’s office, between 2011 and 2013, Wang conspired with at least two others to smuggle objects containing rhinoceros horn and elephant ivory out of the U.S., despite knowing it was illegal to export such items without required permits. Because of their dwindling population, all rhinoceros and elephant species are protected under international trade agreements, like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Wang falsified customs declarations to evade detection, and didn’t declare the shipments to FWS or CBP, the U.S. attorney said.
In addition to the prison term, the Southern New York District Judge ordered Wang to forfeit certain ivory goods in his possession, and banned him from all future trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn. Wang was also sentenced to serve a term of three years of supervised release. Wang was arrested as part of “Operation Crash,” a joint operation between FWS and other federal and local law enforcement agencies meant to counter rhinoceros poaching and trafficking. A “crash” is the term for a herd of rhinoceros.