Four people have been indicted for allegedly purchasing and selling over $1 million worth of stolen dinosaur bones to China, according to federal authorities.
Between March 2018 and March 2023, the defendants exported 150,000 pounds of paleontological resources that had been illegally removed from federal and state lands in southeastern Utah, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Utah District said.
Vint and Donna Wade and Steven and Jordan Willing committed several felony offenses against the United States by violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, according to the federal grand jury's 13-count indictment. Under this law, paleontological resources are defined as fossilized remains, traces or imprints of organisms preserved in or on the Earth's crust that have paleontological interest and provide information about the history of life on the planet.
"The Wades purchased paleontological resources removed from federal land by paying cash and checks to known and unknown unindicted individuals," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. "Those individuals removed the dinosaur bones for the Wades' personal use. The Wades stockpiled paleontological resources to sell at gem and mineral shows to national vendors and to sell some of the illegally obtained paleontological resources to Steven and Jordan Willing.
"Using their company, JMW Sales, the Willings exported the dinosaur bones to China by mislabeling the dinosaur bones and deflating their value to avoid detection by federal agents."
As well as selling over $1 million worth of dinosaur bones and other fossilized remains, the defendants allegedly caused over $3 million in damages affecting the commercial and scientific value of the fossils, as well as the cost of the restoration and repair now required.
"By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones on Federal land," U.S. Attorney Trina Higgins said in the statement.
"The United States Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to protecting paleontological resources throughout the State of Utah," she continued. "We will hold accountable anyone who seeks to engage in similar criminal conduct."
The Wades and the Willings had their first court appearance on October 19 in Salt Lake City.
"Southeastern Utah is a well-known destination for visitors to experience paleontology on the landscape. The public deserves the opportunity to benefit from and appreciate prehistoric resources on the lands," said Gregory Sheehan, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's director for Utah, in the statement.
"We are grateful to our team, including technical experts and law enforcement rangers, and the many partner agencies who have committed time and energy to bring closure in this case," he said.
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