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Pascal Vieillard, A-440 Pianos Inc. Guilty Of Illegally Smuggling Elephant Ivory Into U.S.|11/18/10 |
Huffington Post:
This was the man Rebecca McGregor had dealings with when she purchased the Proksch grand piano, 1905 from A-440 Pianos Inc. See my blog: Funeral for a Cracked Plate, Caveat Emptor!
https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/funeral-for-a-cracked-plate-piano-caveat-emptor/
ATLANTA — A Georgia piano importer has pleaded guilty to federal charges of illegally smuggling internationally protected elephant ivory into the U.S.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Atlanta says 49-year-old Pascal Vieillard of Lilburn and his company, A-440 Pianos Inc., pleaded guilty Thursday. Prosecutors say the company illegally imported 855 elephant ivory key tops, totaling 1,710 pieces of ivory.
Defense attorney Thomas Findley had said earlier his clients didn’t violate the law because the keys contained ivory that was more than 100 years old. The company’s website says it sells and refurbishes new and vintage pianos.
A-440 Pianos faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and five years’ probation. Vieillard faces a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison and maximum fine of $100,000. A sentencing date hasn’t been set.
More:
ATLANTA — An Atlanta piano company and its Lilburn CEO pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to smuggling elephant ivory into the United States, violating a national wildlife law.
Pascal Vieillard, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a misdemeanor count of violating the Lacey Act by illegally importing pianos that contained ivory. His company, A-440 Pianos Inc., admitted to a felony count of smuggling ivory.
The Lacey Act, the first national wildlife law, was passed 110 years ago to assist states in enforcing wildlife laws, federal officials said.
The Atlanta-based company imports, exports and sells pianos to domestic and international customers.
Investigators found that a piano shipment imported by A-440 Pianos in September 2009 lacked the proper permits and documentation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Special agents and border patrol found ivory-covered piano keyboards and individual keys stashed in crates, officials said.
Vieillard faces up to a year in federal prison and a fine of $100,000. His company could be fined $500,000 and be placed on probation for five years, officials said.
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