An Anaheim husband and wife pleaded guilty last week to federal charges of trafficking protected wildlife and received a sentence of three years' probation and a $10,000 fine. Linh Luu and Kevin Le, both residents of Anaheim, admitted to violating the Lacey Act in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors detailed that from September 2019 through May 2021, the couple processed $51,100 in payments. These funds facilitated the illegal movement of wildlife items to and from Oregon on behalf of an individual in Vietnam. The transactions involved a variety of animal parts, including American black bear gallbladders, cougar bones, lion teeth, a tiger pelt, and segments of both black and white rhinoceros horns.
All of the wildlife items involved in the case are explicitly listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international treaty established to regulate the commercial trade of species facing extinction or at risk of becoming extinct. Without the necessary permits, trade in these protected species is prohibited, and Luu and Le, according to the Justice Department, did not possess such permits. Lions, tigers, and both black and white rhinoceroses are additionally safeguarded under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Department of Justice also noted that black bears and cougars, which are native to Oregon, are sometimes sought after for their use in traditional Asian medicine.
The couple's activities came under federal scrutiny. According to a government sentencing memorandum, Luu and Le met an undercover federal agent in a parking lot in December 2020. During this meeting, they accepted a cash down payment of $12,000 for a portion of a rhinoceros horn. Prosecutors said the couple openly discussed strategies to bypass U.S. banking regulations, an effort that could potentially hinder the detection of illicit transactions.
Following this initial contact, Luu and Le each received nearly $5,000 through electronic payments for the rhinoceros horn segment. This particular piece of the horn was subsequently shipped to Oregon, cleverly disguised as a common household decoration. Prosecutors clarified that this sale was specifically intended to establish trust, paving the way for larger and more extensive future transactions.
The Lacey Act, which the couple was found to have violated, stands as the country's oldest wildlife trafficking statute. It specifically prohibits the buying or selling of wildlife that has been either illegally imported or illegally exported, as explained by the Justice Department.
The investigation into the Anaheim couple's trafficking operation was spearheaded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement. They received critical assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Oregon State Police, working collaboratively to uncover the details of the illicit trade. This case serves as a reminder that even seemingly distant federal investigations can involve local residents, with consequences that ripple through international conservation efforts.
