July 19, 2007

Over at Houston's Clear Thinkers, Tom Kirkendall links to this story about a 74-year-old Houston businessman and founder of pipeline giant Enterprise Products Partners, who during a trip to Russia shot and killed a moose and a sheep while riding in a helicopter. Neither animal is apparently endangered, and the Russians didn't seem to care. The US attorney's office, however, had him answer questions at a grand jury hearing and they could indict him under the Lacey Act.

The Lacey Acy was also used to convict a group of lobster fishermen who brought in lobsters from Honduras allegedly in violation of Honduras law. For this, they received 8 years in jail. Here's the best part: the Honduran law they supposedly violated was NEVER actually the law in Honduras. Easy case for appeal, you may think! Unfortunately, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the convictions. The Supreme Court denied cert, but if it is any consolation, there was a dissent in the Eleventh Circuit's decision.