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United States Attorney's Office via AP
These mounted rhino heads were among the items seized at the apartment of David Hausman, a New York City antiques dealer.
In the underground world of trafficking in endangered animals, undercover agents are accustomed to shady characters and even gun-toting thugs. But an antiques dealer who pretends to be helping protect wildlife when in fact he's double crossing you?
That's what happened when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service went after the illegal trade of rhino horns, which are sought after in Asia for ornaments and even for purported medicinal qualities. A horn can go for up to $250,000, a recent NBC Rock Center investigation showed, making a gram more valuable than gold or cocaine.
David Hausman, a New York City antiques dealer, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to breaking laws protecting endangered wildlife by obtaining horns to make "libation cups" and passing them off as antiques that can sell for up to $300,000.
He "pretended he was helping law enforcement protect a species from being wiped out but instead he was contributing to the very problem," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement announcing the guilty plea. Of five species of rhino, three are critically endangered.
Hausman told a federal court judge that he had "failed society, my family, my friends ... and the conservation and animal rights community."
The temptation was great. "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS had an appraisal last year of five Chinese-carved rhino horn cups from the 1600s and 1700s that were valued at up to $1.5 million, Edward Grace, deputy chief of law enforcement at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told NBC News.
"This helps to illustrate the astronomical prices that (antique) rhino horn cups are selling for ... anywhere between $80,000 to $300,000 and sometimes higher," he said. "Because of the high prices individuals are paying for the cups, individuals are now trying to pass off newly carved cups as antiques, which is contributing to the increase in demand for rhino horn."
The tale started in December 2010 when Hausman was helping officials go after illegal trading. He provided a tip that an auction house had illegally sold the taxidermied head of a black rhino but before officials could intervene he "covertly purchased the rhinoceros mount himself, using a straw buyer," the U.S. Attorney's Office stated.
Just days after Rock Center aired Harry Smith's report, "The Last Stand," on the growing epidemic of illegal rhino poaching in South Africa, three of the rhinos featured in the report were attacked by poachers. Rock Center's Harry Smith reports.
Hausman, 67, then "directed the straw buyer to remove the horns and mail them to him," it added. "He then made a realistic set of fake horns ... in order to deceive law enforcement in the event that they conducted an investigation."
During this time, Hausman also responded to an online seller of another taxidermied black rhino head and horns. The seller turned out to be an undercover agent.
Hausman bought the mount at a truck stop in Princeton, Ill., the attorney's office noted, after which "agents followed Hausman and observed him sawing off the horns in a motel parking lot."
Related story: 7 arrested over trade in rhino horns
Hausman was finally arrested last February as part of an ongoing nationwide investigation dubbed "Operation Crash" — crash being the term for a rhino herd. Six others were arrested around the same time in New Jersey, Southern California and Texas.
Agents seized four rhino heads and six black rhino horns at his apartment, as well as numerous carved horns, fake horns and $28,000 in cash, the attorney's office said.
Hausman could have faced 25 years in prison, but a plea deal is expected to mean two years at sentencing on Dec. 5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Worthless piece of scum. Only repentant because he got caught. Hope he's fed a steady diet of whatever he doesn't like in jail.
Yeah, and a sore tooshy.
Hopefully part of his punishment is a rhino horn up his a-hole.
Beheading and then having his "horn" sawed off his body would be more appropriate...
Won't his grandchildren be so proud of him for helping to send another great species into extinction !
The two year sentence handed out was far too lenient to serve as any kind of deterrent to someone else who might attempt the same thing. They should have forced him to serve at least half of the maximum sentence of 25 years, even if he cooperated to help convict others involved and plead guilty. Taking half off the sentence would have been more than enough incentive to gain his cooperation. It is these light sentences coupled with the potential huge monetary rewards that tempts criminals to do these things in the first place. Harsher sentences would be a much greater deterrent.
Give him the max. 25 years hard labor and that will send a message to those poachers.
His lawyer probably threatened them with entrapment and they settled for a plea deal..
I doubt that very much. There's no indication of entrapment in what I read here. Defendants often *say* they were entrapped, but defense lawyers don't "threaten [the prosecution] with entrapment". If the defense felt their client was entrapped, they'd move to dismiss on those grounds.
Hey, feds ----- Let the punishment truly fit the crime. Cut off this guy's horn and see if the black market bids on it as an aphrodisiac. At any rate, he will think of his misdeeds EVERY TIME he sits down on the can to do his business..
The laws have to be changed and make the penalty for this the death penalty. If Hausman only gets two years it will be a travesty.
Also, what you can do:
- Stop buying ANYTHING made in China and other cultures that promote the use of rhino horns for any purpose. Hard to do on some items, but it is possible.
- Make a donation to a rhino conservation fund. Its too bad NBC didn't mention one.
- Get involved in any other way you can to save this magnificent species.
That's part of the problem. 25 years bargained down to 2 and how much will he really serve. It should be 25 yrs no plea bargaining no parole.
Double-crossing people to line his pockets, he must have been a Republican.
maybe tube steak
A plea deal will give him only two years for this? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
No wonder the poachers are winning. This is LAME. A plea deal should have been at least 10 or more years. Two years, about the same as getting caught selling drug paraphernalia......... This is exactly what is wrong with our PROTECTION LAWS.
Creep...Phuckin' disgusting, POS creep. What a heritage he's contributed to his family's reputation for years to come! Bet his kids & grandkids are proud of him. When the rhino is finally extinct, they can say their dad did all he could to help get rid of them!
I can't believe those Feds trusted an Antique Dealer. Haven't that ever watched Storage Wars. You can't trust anybody.
This guy is a genius! I don't condone the killing of endangered animals, but I like his style. 2 years seems about right. 25 years is what you get for murdering a human these days. It's hardly a sentence for animal abuse of any sort.
Faced 25 years and gets off with only 2 years? Seems like a pretty weak punishment.
The US needs to DISCOURAGE this sort of behaviour. Two years in the pokey sounds far, far, too lenient - even if he turned over some Asian Mr. Big.
truthbeborn - my thoughts exactly. Knock 23 years off by pleading guilty? Who comes up with this crap?
Well, the judge probably got interrupted on the golf course and didn't see what the fuss was all about. He probably said I see real criminals in here, what's a little animal (or big animal) to all the misery in the big city ? So he gave the guy two years. This guy helps make a species extinct and the judge barely feels like messing with it. The animals don't have a chance in a system like this.
Personally, FORGET prison. Let's arm this guy, send him OVER to South Africa (I just got back from there and saw white and black rhino), and let HIM go after poachers. Put on the camo gear and hopefully some poacher takes him OUT.....justice be served. Then when they do find another tragic rhino brutally raped by a poacher missing its horn, let him work side by side with the veterinarian to see the actual physical anguish these magnificent animals endure. Forget prison, PUT the SOB in the thick of it. Send him to SA. PERIOD.
Slap on the wrist - shows how trifling the DOJ thinks this kind of crime is.
25 YEARS would have been lenient IMO: can the black rhino be saved from the brink of destruction? Also, Asia has to 'get over' this weird and wonderful "aphrodisiac" shyte: if you absolutely positively HAVE to have one, get a pill from pharma and leave the damn animals intact. There is no science that has proved that rhino horn IS an aphrodisiac.
Some defend the animal parts trade by stating that 'its a tradition' but some traditions should be extinct - hopefully before the animals are. Barcalona has outlawed bullfighting, not because the bulls are going extinct but because times have changed. A noble challenge to be sure, in some parts of the world, but the world needs to catch up. Otherwise, the rhino will be replacing the unicorn as a 'fanciful mythological creature'.
I believe it was spring 2011 when they declared the Asian Rhino extinct. Last one spotted was on Borneo a while back. Those Asians and their stupid aphrodisiac craze and the Arabs with their stupid rhino handle belt knife craze are going to do it. But we did have the same type stupid people stand on the great plains and shoot the last buffalo, killed of the last passenger pigeon, etc. 10 years ago the Limpit (bird) and apple snails became extinct in the wakulla basin - the largest fresh water spring in the world, feeding the Wakulla river. And we have many turtles and birds about to go exinct as the nouveau riche build more houses on the beaches destroying habitat for the critters. As far as animals are concerned, the population explosion of humans going from 7 billion to 9 billion in about 40 years is not a good sign. OF course we don't stop at 9 bil or 10 bil or 11 billion. Even at 6 billion people (1990 or so ) on earth the animals were going extinct at the rate of several species per month. So get on those planes, fill the air with carbon, go see the Galapagos turtles before the carbon kills 'em. Cause if you don't someone else will. And get a nice picture please.
Mess with the rhino, sometimes you get the horns. The antiques dealer wanted rhino, maybe the other inmates will give him RHIMO instead. Rectally Hot Injected Man Organ !
simple, find out who they go to and take them out and execute them, no questions asked, lets see if the little peckers want to die for a hard on.
How about payback. The dude double crossed law enforcement. How about the prosecutor double crossing the bastard and calling for the max after he declares himself guilty.
Ha! That would be awesome!
What a scumbag. And maybe Antiques Roadshow - a program I watch occasionally - ought to consider not putting a value on animal parts that come from endangered species, whether they're old or new. It just gives these idiots the idea that this is a good thing to do.
I have written Antiques Roadshow and begged them to not feature anything made from an animal "part," including elephant tusks. Maybe we need to start an online petition.
Anyone with the kind of connections it takes to sell off this kind of thing didn't need Antiques Roadshow's guidance. It's not like people are out stealing Picasso's and Dali's in the hopes of finding a black market hook up for a painting worth millions. People into this kind of trade already know their market and their product.
Why doesn't someone mount his head on the wall?
Two years is crazy... he should get the full term. Then cut off his penis and mount it.
reading this made me horny
First the plea deal is a mockery of justice. Second they should sawoff his nose (without pain killers) grind it up and fead it to him. Third, they should force him to lead the FBI to the end buyers. When they get the end buyer they should freeze dry their noses and limbs, power them and sell for medicinal use. Powdered Poacher.
I hope they cut his "horn" off.
and people wonder why these animals are going extinct??? 2 year plea deal???? what the hell!!???? you want conservation of these animals? conservation and government gives 1 month and buys back all rino porn/products with rino horn. make it a death sentance for anyone caught with rino horn.(PERIOD) the one month buy back will give those with collections time to get rid of there items, after that its a simple game. anyone that messes with this stuff is put to death. if we are unwilling to do this, they are all already dead.
He should he put to death and his family whom I am sure reaped the rewards of his ill gotten gains should be put in jail for 20 yrs and all assets and property should be taken.
He should be sentenced to 10 years of anti-poaching duty in Africa (non-stop, in the field). There he can witness the carnage he helped create.
Do you really think this guy gives a s--- about these animals. All he cares about is the almighty dollar. I'll bet if you ask him how he felt about his grandkids/great-grandkids not having these beautiful animals around to see 50 years from now, he'll probably say " so what, I'll be dead by then".
We need to have public canings.....
We need to humiliate Asians into the 21st century. Their need for tiger, elephant, rhino for medicinal purposes, aphrodisiacs and god knows what else is driving our most beautiful creatures into extinction.
No surprise! all illegal items under the law , most of buyers are from US. It will take years in justice sustem to punish . Lucky , if authority prove he has done any crime.Set quick justice for criminals.
2 years how cute.. yes that will show him. He is driving the extinction of an entire species.. this scumbag holds no value for life.. he doesn't deserve to keep his. How is 2 years in club fed going to discourage this most disgusting human behavior.
And let's not forget, he'll probably be out in 7 months on good behavior
Two years is an absolute JOKE of a sentence. Disgusting!!
Two years is not near enough time. He should be put in a pen with a live rhino so we could all watch the rhino win for once.
He needs to be killed pure and simple.
Hopefully they took everything he owned also! Death is the only way to stop these people. The killers or people who want these horns, skins and body parts.
Only 2 years is a crime. Whoever made this DEAL should do the other 23 years.
This guy is a PETA sh!t.
Greedy, dishonest, POS ghoul.
Some people just need killin'
why did the feds settle?
they are now part of the probem, too!!
seems so.