Crime & Safety
Blackmarket Ivory Dealer Convicted Under New California Law
A Los Angeles jury convicted a man for selling elephant ivory, a new crime under a 2016 state law.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A man who was among the first to be prosecuted under a state law that prohibits the purchase or sale of products containing ivory from animals was convicted by a Los Angeles jury of peddling elephant ivory, City Attorney Mike Feuer said Thursday.
Oleg N. Chakhov, 48, was sentenced to 10 days in county jail in lieu of a $5,000 fine and placed on three years of probation. He was also ordered to perform 30 days of community labor to to forfeit all ivory from the case, and is prohibited from possessing any ivory items, Feuer said.
"Selling ivory is not only illegal. It's immoral," he said. "The ivory trade is abominable, with devastating consequences that imperil the world's diminishing elephant population. This prosecution and conviction send the strong message to those who may think of selling ivory on the black market - - we will find you and hold you accountable. I want to thank our partners at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for their work bringing this case to us."
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Assembly Bill 96 went into law in July 2016 and prohibits the purchase or sale of products containing ivory from animals, including elephant tusks, warthog tusks and whale tusks. When Feuer announced the charges against Chakhov and two others last year, it marked the first prosecutions brought in California under the new law.
Feuer's office said the investigation began in March 2017, when wildlife officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Trafficking Unit saw several ivory statues advertised for sale online, and Chackov ultimately sold two of the statues to undercover officers for $800.
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"We would like to thank the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for their assistance in this investigation and the subsequent prosecution," said CDFW Deputy Director and Law Enforcement Division Chief David Bess. "The penalties assessed by this court should deter further acts of ivory trafficking and prove California's commitment to halting the demand for ivory which contributes to poaching of elephants in their native range."
City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock
