SAN DIEGO (KNX) — A San Diego-area man who illegally sold ivory carvings out of his garage has been forced to forfeit his entire supply, according to prosecutors.
On Monday, Stephen Shu Wang, 54, of Carmel Valley, was ordered by a state court to surrender more than 200 ivory artifacts and other art pieces he intended to illegally sell, lawyers with the San Diego District Attorney’s Office alleged.
California law prohibits the sale of products derived from ivory, the substance that makes up elephant, walrus, and narwhal tusks, as well as hippopotamus teeth. State law exempts the sale of musical instruments made prior to 1975 containing less than 20% ivory and antiques containing less than 5% ivory. For the latter, the seller must have documentation proving it is more than a century old.
Educational institutions, like museums, are entirely exempt from the law.
Wang voluntarily parted with his entire inventory in lieu of facing jail time, they said. His collection consisted primarily of elephant ivory, and included chess sets and statues. Some items were derived from walrus tusks and hippopotamus teeth.
"Estimating the value of the items is difficult, since there is no legal market for their sale or purchase," Leslie Wolf Branscomb with the city attorney's office told City News Service, "but altogether, they would likely fetch more than $100,000 on the black market."
Two years ago, agents with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife identified online advertisements for Wang’s ivory products. On two occasions, the suspect allegedly sold undercover agents thousands of dollars worth of illicit ivory.
Agents subsequently obtained a search warrant and seized the entire collection from Wang’s garage.
He was charged with 15 misdemeanors in Sep. 2021, including one count of possession of a prohibited animal part for personal gain, seven counts of purchasing and selling ivory in violation of the California Fish and Game code, and seven counts of importing, possessing, or selling prohibited animal parts.
Wang faced eight years in prison and fines between $40,000 and $320,000 if convicted. However, on condition of forfeiting his inventory, he was granted court-ordered diversion. Wang must also complete 100 hours of volunteer work with a conservation nonprofit.
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