WICHITA, KAN. - A Pennsylvania man who owns a company called Horseshoe Hill Outfitters was sentenced to five years on probation, banned from doing business in Kansas and fined $30,000 for violating the Lacey Act, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Robert P. McConnell, 48, Slippery Rock, Penn., pleaded guilty to four counts of importing deer into Kansas in violation of the Lacey Act, which regulates the trade in wildlife, fish and plants that has been illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold. Horseshoe Hill Outfitters advertises what it calls “trophy North American big game hunting adventures" in Kansas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Ontario.
In two counts, McConnell admitted importing deer that were not from an accredited heard, were not officially identified and did not have a certificate of veterinary inspection. In two other counts, he admitted importing domesticated deer.
McAllister commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism and Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough for their work on the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
