A man from Greene pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday to illegally trafficking whale and bird parts he imported from Eastern Europe and sold online to buyers across the country.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Sergey Bachkovsky imported and sold items such as whale teeth and ear bones, and a hawk carcass, and forfeited other items he planned to sell — including bear teeth, whale vertebrae, and feathers and wings from birds of prey.
According to the release, these activities violate U.S. wildlife trafficking law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Bachkovsky hasn't been sentenced yet, but faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the illegal activity.
