Who remembers this? Operators such as Swart should be avoided like the plague



Man Sentenced for Attempting to Illegally Import Big Game Leopard Trophy


Last update: 6:08 p.m. EDT Oct. 17, 2008
WASHINGTON, Oct 17, 2008
PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX



Jerry Mason, of Frankfort, S.D., pleaded guilty today and was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Denver for a false statement he provided to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in an attempt to illegally import a leopard hide and skull from a trophy hunt in South Africa, the Justice Department announced.

Mason pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with a violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) enforceable under the Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act. He was sentenced to pay a $10,000 fine as well as a $10,000 community service payment to the congressionally-established National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Mason will forfeit the hide and skull and also was sentenced to a term of 48 months of probation during which time he will not be allowed to hunt or accompany anyone on a hunt anywhere in the world.

According to the plea agreement, Mason traveled to South Africa in August 2002 to hunt leopards while guided by a South African outfitter named Jan Groenewald Swart who was doing business as "Trophy Hunting Safaris." During the hunt, Mason shot and killed a leopard even though he knew at that time neither he nor Swart possessed a valid permit. Because the leopards were killed illegally, Mason was not able to legally obtain a valid CITES export permit from South Africa. In order to import the hides and skulls from the leopards into the United States, Swart purchased fraudulent permits in Zimbabwe, and Mason provided false information to USFWS.

Swart arranged to have the hides smuggled from South Africa into Zimbabwe, where he purchased fraudulent CITES export permits for the leopard hides and skulls. Mason then submitted applications to the USFWS falsely claiming that they hunted and killed the leopards in Zimbabwe. On Nov. 5, 2004, USFWS inspectors seized a shipment of five leopard hides and three leopard skulls at the Denver International Airport, which included the hide and skull of leopards that Mason killed illegally in South Africa in 2002.

Leopards (Panthera pardus) are listed on Appendix I of CITES. CITES requires that prior to the transport of any part of an Appendix I species from one country to another, an export permit from the country of origin (or a re-export certificate), and an import permit from the country to which the specimen will be shipped, must be obtained and accompany the shipment. The CITES authorities in South Africa set a yearly quota on the number of export permits issued by that country for Appendix I species, such as leopards. These permits are only issued for leopards that have been killed with a valid hunting permit.

On May 21, 2007, Swart pleaded guilty to smuggling charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado for his role in the illegal hunts. Swart is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence. Mason, along with Wayne D. Breitag of Aberdeen, S.D., was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 6, 2008, for violations of the Lacey Act, a federal wildlife statute.

The investigation of this case was lead by Special Agents of the USFWS. The case is being prosecuted by the Environmental Crimes Section of the United States Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.USDOJ.gov

Fuggin feds. Of all the bullshit, they waste their time and ruin anothers life on this.

I reckon he should have gone to jail for at least the same period as the PH. - And I consider the sentence he received to be on the light side.

The CITES (etc) requirements (permits, quotas and licences etc) are there for the protection of the animals we all love and love to hunt. If those protections are permitted to be ignored then eventually we won't have anything left to hunt and the Africa we all love will become nothing more than a sterile desert.

Agree with Shakari.

I have no sympathy for fools. He no doubt shot the Leopard legally but trying to smuggle it in was just plain stupid.

Maybe next time he will use his brain.

One less Leopard trophy for a legitimate hunter from Zim.

If he'd shot it legally in SA, he'd almost certainly have also had permits to export the trophies, so as he didn't have the export permits, he probably shot in illegally.

I've got absolutely no sympathy with him at all and as I say, I reckon he got off far too lightly.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
If he'd shot it legally in SA, he'd almost certainly have also had permits to export the trophies, so as he didn't have the export permits, he probably shot in illegally.

I've got absolutely no sympathy with him at all and as I say, I reckon he got off far too lightly.

A few years ago I was invited by a friend who was loosing stock to a Leopard to come and shoot it. No charge he just didn't have time. He had a permit from Nature Conservation for a depredation hunt for the Leopard.

I didn't shoot it in the few days I invested but he was quite up front, as were the Nature Conservation people, that there was no Cites permit available.

Here is my point. $20,000 in court decision, no telling how much in court fees, $20k+ in attorney fees, 18+ months in a federal prison (tax payers money,) loss of gun rights for life, family being ripped apart and 48 months of the tax payers money to put this guy on probation. EXTREME NO MATTER BY WHOS STANDARDS! WE HAVE BIGGER FISH TO FRY!

Gator

No there wouldn't have been an export licence available for that kind of hunt. SA doesn't get many export permits compared to neighbouring countries for some reason, the game depts issue them (mostly) on a draw basis and they're highly sought after.

That cat will have had a destruction permit and it would have had an expiry date as well. SA cats in general and stock killers in paticular tend to be very well educated and hard to hunt so it's often a case of having to revert to a lot of sneaky tricks to get them to bait.

Jack,

If he was concerned about doing the time, he shouldn't have done the crime. - The fact that his family is torn apart, is his problem and fault. - No-one else's.

Although it is suprising that a man who is presumably intelligent enough to make sufficient money to pay for a safari is also stupid enough to commit such a crime.

How many people actually see there African hunting license when they are over there? This is usually something the outfitter manages.

quote:

Originally posted by Gentleman Jack:
Here is my point. $20,000 in court decision, no telling how much in court fees, $20k+ in attorney fees, 18+ months in a federal prison (tax payers money,) loss of gun rights for life, family being ripped apart and 48 months of the tax payers money to put this guy on probation. EXTREME NO MATTER BY WHOS STANDARDS! WE HAVE BIGGER FISH TO FRY!

This sort of thing is hard to catch. They have to make an example of them so that this type of BS does not become more common. As hunters we must support the punishment of poachers. There are many who are serving more time for lesser crimes.

While planning this thing, how many times do you think Mason and Swart laughed and said, "How the hell would anyone ever find out."

This verdict will make others pause before trying similar crap.

Jason

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:


This verdict will make others pause before trying similar crap.

Jason

100%

Dave

Gentlemen Jack

What would you do? Let the them get away with it. I think they got off lucky. What they did gives a bad name to all of us hunters. It almost sounds like you do not like Fish and Wildlife enforcement. They have a job to do and thank goodness they are there or we would not have the hunting or fishing we have today.

No, dont take my words to extreme. I support Fish and Wildlife 100%. They are not the ones in question here, its the judicial system. The courts could of made an example out of him without stacking all the punishment. For example, the stripping of his hunting rights for life AND a $40,000 fee would suffice. I just dont like seeing taxpayers take the brunt of all this as well. Housing a man in the federal prison for one year is right around $45,000. We havent even talked about his probationary period for 48 months.

Again, I dont condone what he did at all. Its just that in this day in age, you see more and more people getting slammed for little stuff. Its like "they" ran out of stuff to do and serious people to catch.

Also, if you assume he and the other guy just laughed this off, you could also assume that he knew little about the law and underestimating its potential harm.

Does anyone know how the Fed's found out about this?

While I know nothing about all they do to sort this type of thing out, it seems to me that it would be awfully difficult to find a transaction such as this.

how many of you guys read the story at the top of the thread? he can't hunt or be around hunting for 2 year. i see nothing about loss of hunting rights for life. The story also states he shot the leopard knowing he did not have a valid LICENSE to do so, then smuggled it into Zim, where he purchased a fraudulent CITES permit.

"He was sentenced to pay a $10,000 fine as well as a $10,000 community service payment to the congressionally-established National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Mason will forfeit the hide and skull and also was sentenced to a term of 48 months of probation during which time he will not be allowed to hunt or accompany anyone on a hunt anywhere in the world."

"During the hunt, Mason shot and killed a leopard even though he knew at that time neither he nor Swart possessed a valid permit."

Well unless he hunts with a bow and arrow, his days of hunting with firearms is over.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnHunt:
How many people actually see there African hunting license when they are over there? This is usually something the outfitter manages.

I have seen my hunting license on every safari I have been on.

I know that some outfitters do not get their act together, and have their clients in camp, and hunting, before the license is actually issued.

This normally entails some sort of "understanding" between the parties involved and the game scout.

Somtimes it can get rather hairy, as the end of the hunt approaches, and there still no sign of a license.

I gather when this happens, the outfitter has to grease a few palms rather liberally, otherwise the proverbial shit really hits the fan!

The worst I have heard was an American outfitter who managed to get the license on the very last day of the hunt. To the relief of everyone involved.

So my suggestions to anyone hunting in Africa, PLEASE ask to see your hunting license the first day you go out.

I remember the original thread where people vigorously defended the PH, it looks like now that he is crooked.

I've only been to Africa once but I saw my license during the hunt and at the taxidermist's office.

This is a good point Saeed, I would also like to add that in the event of a leopard hunt in South Africa, the permit is not valid until signed by the Hunter (client) himself. It is technically illegal to hunt the leopard before you have signed the permit.