Sixth Defendant Pleads Guilty in Connection with
Illegal Sea Turtle Smuggling
WASHINGTON – Esteban Lopez Estrada, a Mexican
national, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court
in Denver to one felony count of smuggling and one
felony count of money laundering in connection with
the smuggling of sea turtle and other exotic skins
and skin products into the United States from Mexico,
the Justice Department announced today.
Including today’s plea, six of the seven defendants
detained in the case have now pleaded guilty: Chinese
nationals Fu Yiner and Wang Hong; Mexican national
Carlos Leal Barragan; Oscar Cueva of McAllen, Texas;
and Jorge Caraveo of El Paso, Texas.
Lopez Estrada and ten others were indicted in Denver
in August 2007 following a multi-year undercover
investigation named Operation Central, conducted
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Special
Operations. Lopez Estrada and six other defendants
were arrested on Sept. 6, 2007.
Lopez Estrada was indicted in two separate indictments
related to the smuggling of sea turtle and other
exotic leathers and exotic leather products into
the United States from Mexico. As set forth in the
indictments and acknowledged in today’s plea
agreement, Lopez Estrada operated a business in Leon,
Mexico named Botas Exoticas Canada Grande, through
which he bought and sold exotic leathers, including
sea turtle, caiman, ostrich and lizard skins; manufactured
boots and belts from the skins; and sold the skins,
boots, and belts to customers in the United States.
After arranging sales to customers in the U.S., Lopez
Estrada sent the exotic leathers and leather products
to his co-defendants Caraveo and Cueva in Mexico
for clandestine importation into the United States.
As payment for the skins, boots, and belts, he received
international wire transfers from Colorado to his
Mexican bank account.
A sentencing hearing is set for April 30, 2008 at
2:30 MST.
“Lopez Estrada is the sixth defendant to plead
guilty as a result of this undercover operation,” said
Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for
the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural
Resources Division. “The Justice Department
will continue to work with investigative agencies
such as the Fish and Wildlife Service to prosecute
the illegal smuggling of protected species such as
sea turtles and to insure that those who engage in
such activity cannot regard the United States as
a safe market for their illegal products.”
“We mean business when it comes to protecting
endangered sea turtles,” said Troy Eid, U.S.
Attorney for the District of Colorado. “Kudos
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Special
Operations for making this possible.”
There are seven known species of sea turtles. Five
of the seven species are listed as “endangered” under
the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Sea turtles are
sometimes illegally killed for their shell, meat,
skins, and eggs, which have commercial value. International
trade in all sea turtle parts for commercial purposes
is prohibited by the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora, also
known as the CITES treaty, a multilateral treaty
to which the United States, China, and approximately
170 other countries are parties. CITES also restricts
international trade in many other species of wildlife,
including some involved in this case, which are deemed
at risk of extinction and are, or may be, affected
by international trade. United States law independently
requires that wildlife entering the U.S. be clearly
marked and declared to customs or wildlife officials
upon entry, requires permits for trade in or handling
of many species of wildlife, and prohibits commercial
trade in endangered species.
Justice Department Settles Muslim Corrections Officer
Religious Liberty Case
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced
that a federal court in Manhattan approved a settlement
between the Justice Department and the New York State
Department of Correctional Services (DOCS). The agreement
settles the Justice Department’s lawsuit alleging
that DOCS failed to accommodate the religious practices
of correctional officers as required by federal law.
The suit, filed on March 15, 2007, arose out of
a case in which a Muslim correctional worker at a
halfway house had for years been permitted to wear
a prayer cap, or kufi, but in 2005 was told he must
remove the skull cap while at work. The suit alleged
that there was no policy in place for DOCS to review
requests for reasonable accommodation of religious
practices as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
Under the settlement approved, DOCS must keep in
place a process under which employees seeking religious
accommodations to policies regarding officers' uniforms,
are given an individualized review and determination.
Denial of a requested reasonable accommodation may
only be made after a detailed consideration of the
impact of the accommodation on performance of job
duties. The Muslim corrections officer whose case
prompted the suit has been permitted to wear a dark
blue or black kufi with his uniform while working
at the halfway house since shortly after the Justice
Department notified DOCS that it would file suit.
“Today’s settlement underscores the
Justice Department’s commitment to protecting
the religious liberties guaranteed by federal law
for all Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney
General for the Civil Rights Division Grace Chung
Becker.
“Federal law prohibits workplace discrimination
on the basis of religion, and requires reasonable
accommodation of employees’ religious practices,” said
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Michael J. Garcia. “We are pleased that DOCS
has agreed to give fair consideration to its uniformed
officers’ requests for such accommodations.”
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