South African leopard smuggler sentenced in Denver

By Rocky Mountain News
August 9, 2007


A 58-year-old big-game outfitter from South Africa has been sentenced by a Denver federal judge to 18 months in prison for smuggling leopard hides and skulls from Zimbabwe to the United States, federal officials said.
Jan Greonewald Swart, 58, also will undergo three years of supervised release on one felony charge of importing merchandise contrary to law, according to a news release from the Denver U.S. Attorney's Office.

Under a plea agreement, Swart acknowledged operating a commercial big game outfitting business called Trophy Hunting Safaris in Limpopo Province in South Africa. Swart didn't have a hunting permit for that area and told his American hunting clients they should say the leopards were killed in Zimbabwe, the news release said.

SWART arranged the smuggling of five leopard hides and three skulls from those hunts and bought fraudulent export permits from Zimbabwe, the U.S. attorney's office said. He had the parts shipped to a Denver taxidermist in November 2005, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seized them.

Swart and another unidentified South African outfitter were arrested at a Pennsylvania sports show earlier this year.

Leopards in southern Africa are considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They can be hunted in South Africa under a strict quota and permit system. Permits are required to import their parts into the United States.

Here is a link to the original post on AR in regards to this:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1411043/m/678103816

Leopard poacher gets 18 months in prison
By Howard Pankratz
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 08/09/2007 02:46:00 PM MDT


A veteran South African big-game outfitter has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for smuggling five hides and three skulls of sport-hunted leopards into the United States.

Jan Greonewald Swart, 58, was accused of taking U.S. clients on leopard hunts in South Africa without obtaining the necessary permits and then smuggling the hides and skulls of the animals into neighboring Zimbabwe.

From Zimbabwe, the hides and skulls were shipped to Denver taxidermist Edward Borner for preparation at Borner's Elephant Head Taxidermy.

Federal authorities said the hunts went on for years.

According to investigators, some of Swart's clients were from the Rocky Mountain region. As part of the plea deal, Swart has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities probing international poaching and smuggling.

Swart was arrested when he came to the United States to promote his big-game outfitting business in Limpopo Province, South Africa, called Trophy Hunting Safaris.

What are the implications to US hunters who were involved with this? Can they be held criminally liable for fake CITES certificates?


Considering that this "gentleman, very good outfitter and ph", and "straight up guy" "has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities probing international poaching and smuggling."

How many hunters are going to be contacted by federal authorities?

Frank,

Who said anything about fake CITES? And

Kathi,

What makes you an authority on what happened?

Sahu,

I just posted the newspaper articles. This information is available to anyone.

S. African poacher sent leopard hides to Denver
A longtime local taxidermist, who received the smuggled goods, has pleaded guilty and also could receive prison time.
By Howard Pankratz
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 08/10/2007 12:49:51 AM MDT


One of South Africa's largest big- game outfitters, who arranged hunts for clients from the Rocky Mountain region, poached leopards in South Africa and then smuggled the hides and skulls to a longtime Denver taxidermist for preparation, federal authorities said.

The outfitter, Jan Greonewald Swart, 58, was accused of taking the hides and skulls from the animals killed in South Africa and then smuggling them into neighboring Zimbabwe.

From Zimbabwe, the hides and skulls were shipped to Edward Borner for preparation at Borner's Elephant Head Taxidermy, investigators said.

Federal authorities said the poaching went on for years.

Swart was sentenced this week to 18 months in federal prison for smuggling five hides and three skulls of sport- hunted leopards to Denver.

As part of the plea deal, Swart had agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities probing international poaching and smuggling.

Borner pleaded guilty in March to "attempting to receive and transport" the hides and skulls, a misdemeanor. He could receive up to a year in prison and a fine of $100,000 when he is sentenced. He also is cooperating with authorities.

Federal investigators said that it is legal in South Africa to sport-hunt leopards but only if the outfitter has a hunting permit.

Repeatedly, according to U.S. investigators, Swart and his U.S. clients hunted the leopards without the necessary permits. Among the examples:

In 2002, a South Dakota resident accompanied by Swart shot a leopard on private land in Limpopo province, South Africa.

In 2002, Swart outfitted a second South Dakota resident for a leopard hunt in Limpopo.

In 2003, a Pennsylvania bowhunter, accompanied by a professional hunter employed by Swart, killed a leopard in South Africa.

To circumvent South African authorities and international regulations on the import of leopard hides and skulls, Swart told the U.S. residents to say the animals were killed in Zimbabwe, authorities said.

Federal investigators said that Swart helped not only his clients but also the clients of other South African outfitters smuggle their South African leopard hides and skulls to Denver.

In all the cases, the animal trophies were smuggled by Swart into Zimbabwe and then shipped to Borner in Denver using fraudulent Zimbabwe permits, prosecutors said.

Swart was arrested in the United States on one of his trips promoting his outfitting business in Limpopo, called Trophy Hunting Safaris.

After delivery to Borner's taxidermy in Denver, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspected and seized the shipments.

quote:

Originally posted by sahu:
Frank,

Who said anything about fake CITES?

sahu,If the leopards were killed in RSA, and the cites permits were frauduantly obtained in Zimbabwe, then, IMO, they are fake!

quote:

And Kathi,

What makes you an authority on what happened?

MAN! first post, and you are already jumping down people's throats! I think you need to read a little closer. Kathi plainly indicated the source of her report, as being from the DENVER POST.

Sir, if this post is any indication of how you go about saying hello, you are going to be in for a real ride here! Make no mistake there those here who will accommodate you, but IMO, that is what you are trolling for! I won't give you the sattisfaction, passed this post! BYE

Posted 08 February 2007 00:36 Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Walker:
but I have seen the feds in operation at exotic bird shows and they were chickenshit, lying, overzealous, assholes.
And if the case goes to trial they will lie there too.

Perhaps Walker and Will can add some comments to their original posts, in the light of this verdict?

Peter.

quote:

the hides and skulls were shipped to Denver taxidermist Edward Borner

Looks like Mr. "Borner" pulled a real (remove the first "R").

Kinda makes one wonder if Mr. Sahu is one of the "hunters"-- oops, I made a terrible mistake, let me start again. Kinda makes one wonder if Mr. Sahu is one of the low-life poachers who shot an animal in one country, had it smuggled into another country, where falsified permits were issued, and then the skins/skulls shipped illegally, due to the bullshit permits, to a shop in the US.

Good lord, if anyone thinks this is a perfectly dandy thing to do then why not just use your Colorado elk tag down in New Mexico or in Wyoming.

quote:

Originally posted by sahu:
Frank,

Who said anything about fake CITES? And

Kathi,

What makes you an authority on what happened?

All you have demonstrated by this post are (1) you cannot read and (2) you view yourself as somehow superior to others here, a view which, in light of number (1) above, is not supported by the facts.

You're off to a fine start.

18 years in federal prison? And he's 58 now? He'll die in there. And justice was served.

I believe it was 18 months not years.

He should have just robbed a bank or killed OJ's wife; then he wouldn't really have anything to worry about.

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Huffaker:
I believe it was 18 months not years.

That's not enough! A would-be law-breaker won't be deterred by only 18 months. Then I change my statement. Justice WAS NOT served. Damn plea bargains.

An 18 month semtence is not out of line for a first timer for a plea deal; but, I believe in this case the plea bargain requires him to finger the US hunters involved.

So the PH is talking, the taxidermist will soon be as well (if he is smart). Expect to see some hunters indicted on this one as well.

So how did the U.S. authorities find out about the smuggling operation in the first place? Could it be that one of the hunters contacted them?

quote:

Originally posted by sahu:
Frank,

Who said anything about fake CITES? And

Kathi,

What makes you an authority on what happened?

It's not rocket science, you have to have a CITES certificate to bring leopard skins into the US and if the leopard was shot in S.A. and shipped to Zim to get it into the US the hunter is not going to put S.A. on the CITES form.

I think that it's obvious that Sahu is a new identity created to comment specifically on this thread by someone who already posts here.

I hope for his (assumed, male) sake that he is not one of the hunters soon to be making a plea bargain with the federal authorities.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by sahu:
Frank,

Who said anything about fake CITES? And

Kathi,

What makes you an authority on what happened?

I think that it's obvious that Sahu is a new identity created to comment specifically on this thread by someone who already posts here.

I hope for his (assumed, male) sake that he is not one of the hunters soon to be making a plea bargain with the federal authorities.

.......................If he's one of the people who was involved in this illegal scam, then it is not HUNTER, it is POACHER, read "Criminal"!

quote:

Originally posted by nkonka:
Kinda makes one wonder if Mr. Sahu is one of the "hunters"-- oops, I made a terrible mistake, let me start again. Kinda makes one wonder if Mr. Sahu is one of the low-life poachers who shot an animal in one country, had it smuggled into another country, where falsified permits were issued, and then the skins/skulls shipped illegally, due to the bullshit permits, to a shop in the US.

Good lord, if anyone thinks this is a perfectly dandy thing to do then why not just use your Colorado elk tag down in New Mexico or in Wyoming.

+1

Frank,
actually I hope Sahu, if he is one of the poachers, (not hunters-- we must be accurate) gets the whole friggin' law library thrown at him.

I can't imagine a defense-- gee, your honor, i didn't know i was hunting in South Africa, I thought I was in Zim. Gee, your honor, I was told "everyone" is doing it.

Poaching is thieving which is illegal. Shipping something you are not supposed to is called smuggling-- also illegal. This was done twice. Fake official records, also illegal.

Poaching and the low-lifes that practice it will ruin hunting. As hunters we should expect and demand full punishment.
Yeah, I'm pissed.

sahu........Hmmmmm....Does that stand for South African Hunter S.A.Hu.?


Sahu are you there? Or did you use up your weekly allotment of computer time at the jail?

"Jan Greonewald Swart"

Isn't he involved in that fiasco with Out Of Africa too?