Tamir Sapir Pleads Guilty to 'Illegally Importing Wildlife Parts'

Tamir Sapir company to pay fines

A Cayman Islands company, Ruzial Ltd., has pleaded guilty to using a company yacht to illegally import elephant tusks, a mounted tiger head and bar stools covered with reticulated python hides, among several other illegal items.

New Yorker Tamir Sapir, the company’s owner, signed a document saying the company will pay $150,000 in criminal and civil fines. Of course, Tamir Sapir won’t need installment loans or any other type of financing to pay the fines. He is a billionaire. He probably has shoes worth more than that.

Other illegal items

The SunSentenel.com says that a Ruzial yacht, measuring 150 feet, was used to import items protected by the Endangered Species Act. The name of the yacht was M/Y Mystere CI. Here is a partial list of the items found on Mystere:

• zebra-skin rugs
• jaguar-skin rugs
• lion-skin rugs
• leopard-skin rugs
• tiger-skin rugs
• cigarette cases covered with reticulated python skin
• an entire stuffed lion.
• elephant tusks
• mounted tiger head
• bar stools covered with python hides

The company pleaded guilty to illegally importing 29 items.

The trip

The Mystere arrived in the United States with the illegal items, which were mostly used to decorate and outfit the interior of the yacht, in 2007. It traveled here from Italy. The illegal items were discovered when the yacht was preparing to leave for a trip to the Caribbean. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Tamir Sapir Pleads Guilty to 'Illegally Importing Wildlife Parts'"