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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR120919WomanorderedtoforfeititemspayfineforwildlifetraffickingTHE COUNTY OF KAUA'I DEREK S. K. KAWAKAMI, MAYOR mqa MICHAEL A. DAHILIG, MANAGING DIRECTOR C OF News Release For Immediate Release: December 9, 2019 OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY JUSTIN F. KOLLAR, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY Tel (808) 241-1888 Fax (808) 241-1758 Woman ordered to forfeit items, pay fine for wildlife trafficking LTHU`E — Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar announced that Vivian Satow, age 73, of Anahola, was ordered on Tuesday, Dec. 3, to pay $250 in fines and forfeit illegal whale items she attempted to sell at a local farmer's market. An investigation conducted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service revealed that on May 15, 2019, Satow attempted to sell pieces of jewelry containing knowingly illegal whale ivory and whale teeth at her booth located at a farmer's market in Anahola. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chris Donahoe prosecuted the case. Satow was represented by Deputy Public Defender Larie Manutai. Satow entered a plea of No Contest to Wildlife Trafficking Prohibited, a misdemeanor, and Fifth Circuit Environmental Court Judge Michael Soong handed down the sentence on Dec. 3, 2019. "This is the first conviction for whale bone in Hawaii under the new Wildlife Trafficking statute that took effect on July 1, 2017," stated Kollar. "It shows that Kauai is on the forefront of environmental justice and we are grateful to our partners in DLNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for their diligence in this shared mission to protect our wildlife from illegal trade practices."