Post by FWS on Oct 29, 2009 23:55:48 GMT -6
Colorado Residents Charged With Illegal Interstate Traffic, Sale Of Bobcats, Pelts
October 21, 2009
Denver, CO (AHN) - Two Colorado residents have been indicted on 15 counts including conspiracy, trafficking and selling bobcats and bobcat pelts, according to the Justice Department.
Jeffrey Bodnar and Veronica Anderson-Bodnar were charged on Tuesday of illegally transporting and selling bobcats that were captured and killed without a license and using illegal leghold traps, in violation of the Lacey Act. They intentionally submitted false records and accounts saying the animals were trapped for tagging by state wildlife officials.
Bodnar allegedly caught and killed the bobcats before, during and after hunting season around Park County, including those areas owned by the U.S. Forest Service. He is also charged with seven firearms violations for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Anderson-Bodnar is accused of having pelts tagged at the Colorado Division of Wildlife Office by falsely certifying them as having been obtained legally. She was also indicted on two firearms violations for transferring firearms to a felon.
The two face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count under the Lacey Act. Each firearms violation carries up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
Bobcats are one of four species of lynx and have populations throughout North America, Mexico and Canada. Named for their bobbed tail and long prized for their beige to brown fur that may be either lined or spotted with black, bobcats have a lifespan of 12 to 13 years. They are highly adaptable animals but only about 700,000 to 1 million remain worldwide.
October 21, 2009
Denver, CO (AHN) - Two Colorado residents have been indicted on 15 counts including conspiracy, trafficking and selling bobcats and bobcat pelts, according to the Justice Department.
Jeffrey Bodnar and Veronica Anderson-Bodnar were charged on Tuesday of illegally transporting and selling bobcats that were captured and killed without a license and using illegal leghold traps, in violation of the Lacey Act. They intentionally submitted false records and accounts saying the animals were trapped for tagging by state wildlife officials.
Bodnar allegedly caught and killed the bobcats before, during and after hunting season around Park County, including those areas owned by the U.S. Forest Service. He is also charged with seven firearms violations for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Anderson-Bodnar is accused of having pelts tagged at the Colorado Division of Wildlife Office by falsely certifying them as having been obtained legally. She was also indicted on two firearms violations for transferring firearms to a felon.
The two face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count under the Lacey Act. Each firearms violation carries up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
Bobcats are one of four species of lynx and have populations throughout North America, Mexico and Canada. Named for their bobbed tail and long prized for their beige to brown fur that may be either lined or spotted with black, bobcats have a lifespan of 12 to 13 years. They are highly adaptable animals but only about 700,000 to 1 million remain worldwide.
