MIAMI — A South Florida businessman has pleaded guilty to trafficking in elephant ivory.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reports in a news release that 54-year-old Raymond J. Reppert Jr. entered his plea in Miami federal court Monday. He faces up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines at his Feb. 25 sentencing.
Court records show that Reppert was attempting to ship ivory to Guangdong, China, in February 2014 when it was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Miami International Mail Facility. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspector traced the packages to a Dania Beach shipping company that Reppert was doing business as. Investigators then tracked several more ivory carvings headed to China in March and April.
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