West Texas A&M Associate Professor Indicted for Smuggling Wildlife Items
An associate professor of biology at West Texas A&M University in Canyon has been indicted for smuggling goods into the United States and violating the Endangered Species Act.
According to the United State Department of Justice, 54-year-old Richard Kazmaier is accused of illegally importing wildlife items, such as skulls, skeletons, and taxidermy mounts, into the United States without notice or without the proper permits. Kazmaier allegedly imported items from March 2017 to February 2020.
The indictment also claims Kazmaier imported wildlife items from over a dozen protected species without obtaining permits. Items include the Eurasian otter, lynx, caracal, vervet monkey, greater naked-tailed armadillo, and king bird-of-paradise.
If convicted, Kazmaier faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a up to $450,000 in fines.
Kazmaier was a member of WTAMU since 2001, but as of this time, he has been unlisted from its website.
Operation Global Reach, an operation focused on the trafficking of wildlife from Indonesia to the United States, was spearheaded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement in Redmond, Washington.
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