A grand jury has indicted two Alaska men on charges that they collected ivory and bone parts of walruses found washed up on state beaches, falsified documents, then illegally sold walrus parts for thousands of dollars.

Michael Sofoulis, 46, of Juneau and Frederick Reynolds , 52, of Pilot Point were charged with multiple counts of violating federal laws, including the Lacey Act, which prohibits transporting animals taken illegally.

The charging documents say Reynolds collected parts from about a dozen Pacific walrus carcasses found on Alaska beaches since 1999, then sold the tusks and skulls, mostly in the Juneau area.

Reynolds found most of the walruses around Pilot Point, population 75, located on the northern coast of the Alaska Peninsula 85 miles south of King Salmon. He sold them directly or through Sofoulis, said special assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Mikolop.

Federal regulations allow anyone, Native or non-Native, to collect parts from dead walruses found on beaches or land within a quarter-mile of the ocean but the finder must report the collected parts to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 30 days. Once the parts are registered, they are the property of the finder but they cannot be sold, traded or given away without permission from federal authorities.

Reynolds and Sofoulis would sell the walrus parts, then lie on documents saying that the people they sold the parts to actually found the walruses on beaches themselves, prosecutors say.

The only exception to the law is when Alaska Natives find walrus ivory. The law allows Natives to make the ivory into handicrafts and sell them. Prosecutors said neither Reynolds nor Sofoulis are Alaska Native and there was no attempt to make the ivory into handicrafts.

Sofoulis, a big-game hunting guide who owns Alaska Coastal Guiding in Auke Bay near Juneau, sold some of the walrus parts to hunting clients for $2,000, charging documents say. Sofoulis also faces two charges of witness tampering but prosecutors declined to provide details.

Pacific walruses typically inhabit the waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas, or the waters west of the Alaska Peninsula up along the coast to Barrow. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials do not know how many of the animals are in existence, but the last estimate in 1990 put their total population at about 200,000.

Update 5/18/07:  A Pilot Point man pleaded guilty to several counts related to collecting ivory and bone parts of walruses washed up on state beaches, falsifying documents and illegally selling the parts, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.

Frederick Reynolds, 53, pleaded guilty to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, among other charges.

Pacific walruses typically inhabit the waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas, or the waters west of the Alaska Peninsula up along the coast to Barrow. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials do not know how many of the animals are in existence, but the last estimate in 1990 put their total population at about 200,000.

Reynolds is scheduled to be sentenced in the fall.

Update 9/29/07:  Frederick R. Reynolds, 53, who lived part time in Pilot Point, was sentenced in federal court to eight months in prison for selling ivory and other walrus parts in Anchorage by U.S. District Judge John Sedwick, said assistant U.S. attorney Steven Skrocki.

As part of the plea agreement, Reynolds forfeited approximately 50 walrus teeth, two jaw bones with teeth, an oosik, one walrus skull and a tusk head mount.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents ended up seizing 10 walrus mounts that were sold illegally by Reynolds and Sofoulis.

Sofoulis previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He received a six-month sentence, was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution. He also was ordered to forfeit all walrus parts, including two walrus tusk head mounts.

Skrocki said some of the items ended up in states in the Lower 48.

"Fish and Wildlife law enforcement agents are making a concerted effort in Alaska to ensure that Alaska's resources, in this case walrus, aren't being abused for commercial gain or profit," he said.

Reference:

Anchorage Daily News

Juneau Empire