Smuggle a rare fish, go to federal prison
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, March 27, 2008
(03-27) 06:19 PDT SAN FRANCISCO --
A San Francisco man has been sentenced to two months in prison for selling an endangered species of fish over the Internet.
Danny Yep, 27, must then spend four months in home confinement for selling an Asian Arowana fish in July 204 to an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent on an Internet site called Aquabid, said U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in pronouncing sentence.
At a hearing March 20 in San Francisco, White also fined Yep $2,000 and placed him on three years of probation.
Yep pleaded guilty in December to a felony count of violating the Lacey Act, which makes it illegal to sell an endangered species. He admitted that he knew the fish was listed as endangered and that both the importation and sale of the fish were illegal.
The Asian Arowana fish, also known as Asian Boney tongue fish, is native to Indonesia and Malaysia, federal prosecutors said. It is considered to be a symbol of good luck by members of the Chinese community and can command up to $2,000 to $3,000 per fish based on its size and the brilliance of its color, authorities said.
Yep was a direct participant in the illegal trade of wildlife trafficking, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Geis wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
"He stood to profit from it," Geis wrote. "A two-month sentence sends a strong message both to Yep, as well as other smugglers in the Bay Area. The message sent will be that there are real consequences to trafficking endangered species, including the loss of personal liberty."
Yep's attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Jodi Linker, wrote in a sentencing memorandum, "While Mr. Yep acknowledges the significance and seriousness of his offense and admits that he made a terrible mistake in selling this fish, the evidence establishes that Mr. Yep only engaged in this one sale."
E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, March 27, 2008
(03-27) 06:19 PDT SAN FRANCISCO --
A San Francisco man has been sentenced to two months in prison for selling an endangered species of fish over the Internet.
Danny Yep, 27, must then spend four months in home confinement for selling an Asian Arowana fish in July 204 to an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent on an Internet site called Aquabid, said U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in pronouncing sentence.
At a hearing March 20 in San Francisco, White also fined Yep $2,000 and placed him on three years of probation.
Yep pleaded guilty in December to a felony count of violating the Lacey Act, which makes it illegal to sell an endangered species. He admitted that he knew the fish was listed as endangered and that both the importation and sale of the fish were illegal.
The Asian Arowana fish, also known as Asian Boney tongue fish, is native to Indonesia and Malaysia, federal prosecutors said. It is considered to be a symbol of good luck by members of the Chinese community and can command up to $2,000 to $3,000 per fish based on its size and the brilliance of its color, authorities said.
Yep was a direct participant in the illegal trade of wildlife trafficking, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Geis wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
"He stood to profit from it," Geis wrote. "A two-month sentence sends a strong message both to Yep, as well as other smugglers in the Bay Area. The message sent will be that there are real consequences to trafficking endangered species, including the loss of personal liberty."
Yep's attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Jodi Linker, wrote in a sentencing memorandum, "While Mr. Yep acknowledges the significance and seriousness of his offense and admits that he made a terrible mistake in selling this fish, the evidence establishes that Mr. Yep only engaged in this one sale."
E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.
