Five men have been charged in New Orleans with crimes
related to illegally exporting birds protected under the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) from the United States to
Taiwan. William McGinness, 59, of Buena
Park, California; Paul Tallman, 55, of Destreham, Louisiana; Rene Rizal, 62, of
La Mirada, California; Wayne Andrews, 46, of Royal Oaks, California and Alex
Madriaga, 76, of Buena Park, California; were each indicted in federal court in
the eastern District of Louisiana today.
On May 31, 2018, a five-count indictment was returned
charging McGinness, Tallman, Rizal, Andrews and Madriaga with conspiracy to
smuggle CITES-protected birds from the United States to Taiwan. McGuinness was
also charged with smuggling birds to Taiwan and three counts of making and
submitting false records under the Lacey Act, and Tallman was charged with
smuggling and one count of making and submitting false records under the Lacey
Act.
The indictment alleges, among other things, that McGinness,
a resident of California, and his co-conspirators created false statements and
submitted them to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in order
to illegally export CITES-protected birds from the Port of New Orleans to
Taiwan. The shipment included 90 CITES-protected birds, including parrots,
macaws, cockatoos and corellas. Several of the birds were in crates that were
falsely labeled. The USFWS seized 14 of the birds at the airport in Houston,
Texas before they were exported.
The indictments were announced today by Acting Assistant
Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Justice Department’s Environment and
Natural Resources Division, and Acting Assistant Director Edward Grace of the
Office of Law Enforcement for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“These indictments demonstrate our commitment, shared with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to investigate and prosecute those engaged
in illegal trade of protected animals,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General
Wood. “We will continue to collaborate with our partners at the federal, state
and local levels to prosecute wildlife smuggling.”
"Today’s indictments were the result of a complex
investigation into the wildlife trafficking of protected birds,” said Acting
Assistant Director Grace. “Wildlife trafficking is a serious crime that is
detrimental to species around the world. I am very proud of our special agents
and wildlife inspectors who helped bring these defendants to justice."
The United States and approximately 182 other countries are
signatories to CITES, which provides a mechanism for regulating international
trade in species whose continued survival is threatened by such trade. Species
are listed on “appendices,” based on the level of protection necessary to
protect the species.
The case was investigated by the USFWS and the Justice
Department’s Environmental Crimes Section. The government is represented by
Environmental Crimes Section Trial Attorney Mary Dee Carraway.
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