AR-News: (S. Africa) SA fishing boss faces US fine

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

Cape Town - Former Cape Town fishing company boss Arnold Bengis has pleaded 
guilty in the United States to massive poaching and smuggling, and has agreed 
to forfeit millions of dollars. 
Bengis, 67, who headed the now-defunct Hout Bay Fishing, appeared in a 
Manhattan federal court on Tuesday along with co-accused Jeffrey Noll. 
They masterminded a scheme to over-harvest massive quantities of South 
African rock lobster and Patagonian toothfish and then illegally import the fish 
into the United States. 
Bengis and Noll pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the US' Lacey Act, as 
well as to violations of the act itself, a statute which makes it a crime to 
import wildlife caught in violation of foreign law into the US. 
The US Attorney's office for the southern district of New York said that as 
part of their guilty pleas, Bengis and Noll agreed to forfeit at least $5m to 
the US government. The exact amount would be determined before sentencing on 
May 28. 





full story:

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1492876,00.html 
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