Hunting
Accident File > Violations
Louisiana guide charged with hunting threatened alligators
September 15, 2010
Louisiana guide charged with hunting threatened alligators
Gregory Dupont could be sentenced to 15 years if convicted
The American alligator is protected by U.S. and international regulations
(CNN) -- A licensed Louisiana alligator hunter and guide who took clients
on sport hunts has been indicted on three counts of violating federal laws
protecting the threatened American alligator.
Gregory Dupont, owner of Louisiana Hunters Inc., would face up to 15
years in prison if convicted on all counts for allegedly knowing that gators
he had "taken, possessed, transported and sold" violated federal laws and
regulations.
The Justice Department charged the 36-year-old sportsman from Plaquemine,
Louisiana, in federal court in Baton Rouge.
The federal wildlife statute known as the Lacey Act under which Dupont
was charged also calls for fines of up to $250,000 for each count.
Government attorneys say in addition to being listed as a threatened
species by the United States, the American alligator is listed in an
international agreement on trade involving endangered species. That pact
requires each gator to be tagged after it is killed. The tag has to stay
with the skin until it is manufactured into a final consumer product.
The grand jury indictment says the alleged violations occurred in 2005
and 2006.
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