Fredericksburg Man Pleads Guilty To Selling Elephant Ivory

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A man from Fredericksburg pleaded guilty on Tuesday to violating the Endangered Species Act by selling elephant and whale ivory, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The man, Gary Cooper, made thousands of dollars selling ivory online, court documents claimed.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that Cooper sold the ivory online from June 2015 through the early part of 2020. Cooper used online platforms like eBay and Craigslist to complete the sales, officials said.

"These items ranged in size, including two raw elephant tusks that measured at least 28 inches long," officials said in a news release. "In addition to several raw and carved tusks, the advertisements offered numerous elephant ivory carvings and both raw and scrimshawed sperm whale teeth."

Court documents claimed that Cooper was regularly buying pieces of ivory and flipping them for a profit. However, in exchanges with clients, he said the ivory came from the estate of an elderly couple who were in poor health.

In September 2018, Cooper began selling ivory to undercover agents from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Over a 16 month period, officials said cooper sold more than 49 pieces of elephant ivory to undercover agents with a market value above $40,000.

"During their correspondence, Cooper and the undercover agents discussed the illegality of buying and selling ivory across state lines," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Authorities claimed that undercover agents bought ivory from Cooper, and he shipped the pieces from Virginia to New York in 2018. "Upon forensic investigation, the items were confirmed to be genuine elephant ivory," officials said.

Cooper is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31, 2021. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison. As part of his plea deal, Cooper forfeited more than 100 pieces of raw and carved ivory, according to authorities.

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