An Australian mineral dealer pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling fossilized dinosaur eggs from China to the United states, authorities said. Tamas “Thomas” Kapitany, 45, is to be spend a year on criminal probation and pay a 20,000-dollar fine in a plea bargain made to avoid trial, according to Tammy Wilson of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Kapitany, operator of Crystal World in Melbourne, also agreed to forfeit fossils seized by US investigators, Wilson said.
“These prehistoric treasures rightfully belong to China and the Chinese people,” said David Nehls, assistant special agent in charge for ICE investigations at Los Angeles International Airport.
“It is shameful that someone would plunder specimens like this from another nation simply to pleasure hobbyists and line their own pockets.”
US officials will coordinate with Chinese authorities to determine what to do with the fossils, according to ICE.
Starting as far back as 1999, Kapitany snuck eggs, which are deemed protected relics under Chinese law, from eastern China to California by mislabeling them minerals or geological specimens, prosecutors said.
Kapitany smuggled the eggs in through airports in the southern California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, according to Wilson. Federal agents seized more than 140 boxes of smuggled eggs from a warehouse in the city of El Cajon.
The plea came just weeks after ICE agents raided a gem and fossil show in Tucson, Arizona, and confiscated almost eight tons of rare fossils including dinosaur eggs and prehistoric pinecones evidently smuggled out of Argentina.
The fossils were being sold by Argentina-based vendor Rhodo Company. That ICE investigation is ongoing and no arrests were made as of Wednesday.
Source: Agence France-Presse
