On September 12, 2007, the DOJ announced that Robert Kern, the president of the Hunting Consortium, a hunting outfitter based in Berryville, Virginia, and Hunting Consortium were indicted in Houston, Texas, for violating the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act prohibits any person
from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring or purchasing in foreign commerce any wildlife taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of any foreign law related to wildlife.
The indictment is based on a hunt in Russia in the summer of 2002 that was organized by Kern. During the hunt, Kern used helicopters to locate trophy-sized moose and sheep for hunters on the trip. The helicopters were then used as airborne shooting platforms by the hunters. The use of helicopters in the taking of wildlife is prohibited by Russian law. The trophy parts of the wildlife were then transported from Russia and imported into the United States at an airport in Houston, Texas (this might be a real sport if the moose and sheep could shoot back).
Kern and the Hunting Consortium are each charged with a felony violation of the Lacey Act, which carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine for Kern, and a $500,000.00 fine for the Hunting Consortium.
Now, for my favorite part of the DOJ