AK gallery owner charged with trafficking walrus ivory

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The owner of a downtown Anchorage gallery was accused of illegally purchasing and selling walrus tusk ivory and tax evasion stemming from 2017, federal prosecutors said.

Walter Earl, 75, faces up to five years in prison and multiple $250,000 fines after he was charged Thursday with four felonies in federal court, including three Lacey Act violations, Anchorage Daily News reported.

The Lacey Act was passed in 1990 and prohibits the sale of wildlife or wildlife products taken or possessed in violation of state or foreign law. It is legal to hunt walrus in Alaska, but onl...

 

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