USA : USA: Hunter gets fines, probation for killing leopard in Africa
on 2008/4/1 13:43:35 (9 reads)

A Pennsylvania big game hunter is facing fines and probation after admitting he lied about the circumstances surrounding his 2003 killing of a leopard in Africa.

Shippensburg resident Mark Clyde Booth was sentenced Friday in federal court in Colorado. He's prohibited from hunting anywhere in the world during his three-year probation period and has to pay fines of $15,000.

He pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act, which governs the importation of endangered plants and animals.

The 44-year-old man's felony conviction stems from his shooting the leopard in South Africa, then telling U.S. authorities that the hunt occurred in neighboring Zimbabwe. He also admitted to submitting a bogus form on behalf of another leopard hunter.

A leopard skin marked with Booth's name was sent from South Africa to Denver in 2005 using an import permit that federal investigators later determined was fraudulent.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=452801