News Item: Busted for digging Dino on Federal land

[knave]

Federal prosecutors today announced charges against four people allegedly involved in a massive dinosaur bone smuggling scheme. Thousands of pounds of dinosaurs and other fossils were secretly excavated from government lands in Utah, according to court documents. Some were sold at gem shows, and others were shipped to China after being mislabeled as construction materials or gems. The poaching and subterfuge, court documents allege, lasted at least from March 2018 to earlier this year.
“By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones,” United States Attorney Trina Higgins said in a press statement.
"It’s certainly a significant volume of dinosaur bones," says David Evans, a paleontologist at the Royal Ontario Museum who’s not involved in the case. He adds that it’s unusual for so much material to be removed from government lands, and that many people likely aren’t aware of the scale of the black market on U.S. dinosaur specimens.

www.moabtimes.com/articles/moab-couple-2-others-charged-with-buying-selling-dinosaur-bones-taken-from-blm-lands-in-southeast-utah/

[jasoninsd]

Evan, good to see you out and about!

I do have to wonder how much of that Dino Bone was gemmy!!

[khara]

Yikes.😬

[RWA3006]

Oct 20, 2023 21:05:51 GMT -5 jasoninsd said:

Evan, good to see you out and about!

I do have to wonder how much of that Dino Bone was gemmy!!

Probably a lot of it. The bone from the Moab area has a high ratio of gem bone. I'm glad they nailed the greedy buggers, there's no call to exploit it like that. That being said I wish it was legal for us to harvest reasonable quantities from the surface because dino bone breaks down and erodes away after a while once it is exposed to the elements. It's a shame for it to be wasted that way.

[jasoninsd]

Oct 20, 2023 23:38:39 GMT -5 RWA3006 said:

Oct 20, 2023 21:05:51 GMT -5 jasoninsd said:

Evan, good to see you out and about!

I do have to wonder how much of that Dino Bone was gemmy!!

Probably a lot of it. The bone from the Moab area has a high ratio of gem bone. I'm glad they nailed the greedy buggers, there's no call to exploit it like that. That being said I wish it was legal for us to harvest reasonable quantities from the surface because dino bone breaks down and erodes away after a while once it is exposed to the elements. It's a shame for it to be wasted that way.

I learned that from watching Dino Hunters. I miss that show!

[parfive]

Seventy-five tons looted in five years by known and unknown unindicted individuals is a lotta five-gallon pails.

    "The Wades converted some of the dinosaur bones for their own use to sell at gem and mineral shows"


Anyone ever run into these deplorables at a local show?



www.deseret.com/2023/10/20/23924879/4-people-accused-of-stealing-1m-of-dinosaur-bones-exporting-them-to-china

[dillonf]

Sad indeed! Glad they were caught.

[oregon]

The National Geo article has a few more pics, but yeah the scale of this is mind boggling.   Worth trying to get a handle on where your bone comes from I suppose.  Wouldn't be surprised to see dino bone trade go the way of ivory etc.

Edit - sorry that's behind enter your email to view link...  not too much other info than the Deseret News above, 

don't want to post copyrighted photos/stories, but there are pics of shipping containers full of rocks and  some gembone pcs, (with a $4500 price tag) as they were trying to id locations using radioactive isotopes.

[parfive]

Link needs a fix, oregon , just opens RTH’s Recently Updated Posts.

[edit] Or this thread, depending on where you read it.


This could be what you intended. I can’t read it w/o handing over my firstborn.

    www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/us-authorities-bust-massive-dinosaur-bone-poaching-ring

[oregon]

Just to follow up....

I was wondering if I'd know any of these faces, did a little bit of record searching last night.  

Court documents describing the years-long Utah poaching operation allege that Vint and Donna Wade purchased illegally obtained bones and other fossils to sell at U.S. gem and mineral shows and also to ship to China, and that Jordan Willing and his father Steve Willing trafficked dinosaur bones to China using their company JMW Sales. The documents also allege that two unnamed and unindicted coconspirators illegally excavated fossils from federal lands and sold them off to the Wades.

So it looks like Jordan Willing owns several import companies headquartered in Ashland,  One of the principal ones selling STEM toys to children.  Ironically featuring a lot of National geographic endorsed items.   What a great example to send to kids.  thinkbluemarble.com/our-story/  

Just a few blocks from the wildlife forensics labratory... www.fws.gov/law-enforcement/clark-r-bavin-national-fish-and-wildlife-forensics-laboratory  wonder if they got involved.

[catmandewe]

Vint Wade has been a dealer at Desert Gardens in Quartzsite for many years.

Tony

[oregon]

Trial set for Dec 18th....

www.rv-times.com/localstate/ashland-man-pleads-not-guilty-to-conspiracy-involving-illegal-sale-of-dinosaur-bones/article_9adcaf56-7423-11ee-8adb-43c379b98681.html

[khara]

I might not try to get out of jury duty if I got called for this one...

[Fossilman]

Nail them to the wall !!! Knew a guy in Montana that looted an Indian Artifact area in Wyoming, plus a few other areas and material, he got 7 years in state prison!
We deserved too!

[susand24224]

Thanks for the posts and updates. khara I likely would pay to be on that jury. Don't know if I could make it through voir dire, though, due to openly showing my contempt.

[Mark K]

I have to wonder though, how much of that was of any scientific value really. We all know that dino bone degrades away rapidly once exposed to the elements and it is not a very well hidden secret that the "experts" don't really want to fool with the common fossils such as the duckies. They frequently leave them to weather away because they are not glorious enough.

So the real question is "did they actually do any REAL damage? Or is it all hyperbole for the press?"

[oregon]

doesn't look like much has happened, just placing the link here

www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/50749075/USA_v_Wade_et_al

[oregon]

Looks like nothing to happen until Jan 2025...

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER TO CONTINUE - Ends of Justice as to Vint Wade, Donna Wade, Steven Willing, Jordan Willing: Time excluded from date of motion until new trial date. Motion granted: 89 MOTION to Continue Jury Trial. Scheduling Conference set for 3/28/24, is vacated. 4-Week Jury Trial reset for 1/27/2025 at 08:30 AM in Rm 7.300 before Judge David Nuffer. Signed by Judge David Nuffer on 3/22/24 (alt) MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER TO CONTINUE - Ends of Justice as to Vint Wade, Donna Wade, Steven Willing, Jordan Willing: Time excluded from date of motion until new trial date. Motion granted: 89 MOTION to Continue Jury Trial. Scheduling Conference set for 3/28/24, is vacated. 4-Week Jury Trial reset for 1/27/2025 at 08:30 AM in Rm 7.300 before Judge David Nuffer. Signed by Judge David Nuffer on 3/22/24 (alt) MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER TO CONTINUE - Ends of Justice as to Vint Wade, Donna Wade, Steven Willing, Jordan Willing: Time excluded from date of motion until new trial date. Motion granted: 89 MOTION to Continue Jury Trial. Scheduling Conference set for 3/28/24, is vacated. 4-Week Jury Trial reset for 1/27/2025 at 08:30 AM in Rm 7.300 before Judge David Nuffer. Signed by Judge David Nuffer on 3/22/24 (alt) MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER TO CONTINUE - Ends of Justice as to Vint Wade, Donna Wade, Steven Willing, Jordan Willing: Time excluded from date of motion until new trial date. Motion granted: 89 MOTION to Continue Jury Trial. Scheduling Conference set for 3/28/24, is vacated. 4-Week Jury Trial reset for 1/27/2025 at 08:30 AM in Rm 7.300 before Judge David Nuffer. Signed by Judge David Nuffer on 3/22/24 (alt)

[realrockhound]

As punishment. They should just give them a good talking to, and make them relinquish all the material to me.

[ThomasT]

If they are found guilty as charged...

How about they pay in like-kind... the same number of years they stole the material. Using their talents for good, wearing their orange suits, working at the pits recovering and processing fine specimens for the benefit of the citizens of the State.