Alaska Beat

Native man sells pelts illegally, loses hunting rights

An Alaska Native man who pled guilty to selling sea-otter pelts to a non-Native undercover agent can't hunt marine mammals for two years. Craig resident Richard H. Yates, 53, was sentenced to probation, which prevents him from possessing or transporting marine mammals for two years. He also must pay a $2,500 fine. Yates was sentenced Sept. 21 by Magistrate Judge Leslie Longenbaugh for selling wildlife to a non-Native undercover officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Anchorage. The sale violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act. "Alaska Natives may take sea otters and sell their pelts to non-Alaska Natives if they are made into a Native handicraft, which substantially alters the pelt," the statement said. After the illegal sale in March for $1,350, Yates said he'd sell 28 additional sea otter pelts to the agent for $5,600. Yates ultimately provided eight tanned pelts for sale, and attempted to dodge the act's requirements by telling the buyer that the stitching could be easily removed so the pelts would be unaltered. "These additional pelts were later seized by USFWS agents" and forfeited, the statement said.

Alex DeMarban

Alex DeMarban is a longtime Alaska journalist who covers business, the oil and gas industries and general assignments. Reach him at 907-257-4317 or alex@adn.com.

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