A St. Paul business operator faces $25,000 in fines after pleading guilty to wildlife charges stemming from the undercover Operation Griffon last week. Wildlife Act charges against Wild West Exchange were dropped, while business operator Paul Anthony Chesterton received fines.
At the summary disposition at St. Paul Provincial Court on Wednesday, an agreed statement of facts was read before Judge Kathleen D. Williams determined penalties for the unlawful trafficking of birds of prey. Williams read her decision after Chesterton’s guilty pleas were accepted.
In her decision read in court, Williams said it’s important to send a message to the public, affirm that this is a serious offence and stop people from considering the trafficking of wildlife. Protected wildlife is an important part of the national heritage, she said.
Williams also said there was undoubtedly an element of profit in regards to Chesterton having the illegal items in his shop. Another deciding factor in the sentence was the fact that Chesterton admitted he knew what he was doing was illegal, said Williams.
A message must be sent to everyone who considers this type of offence, said the judge.
The charges against Chesterton resulted from an undercover Sustainable Resource Development operation. During the operation, an undercover officer purchased a number of traditional First Nations items such as a dancing stick with an eagle claw and an eagle feather bustle.
Chesterton was fined for three counts relating to Section 62 sub. (2) of the Wildlife Act, which states, “A person shall not be in possession of wildlife for the purpose of trafficking in wildlife.”
Chesterton received a total of $25,000 in fines, $10,000 for the first count, $10,000 for the second count, and $5,000 for the third count. He has until Oct. 31, 2012, to pay the fines. A default of 300 days in jail is attached to the sentence if the fines are not paid.
A three-year hunting licence suspension for each count was also handed down, for a total of a nine-year prohibition.
A Red Deer woman pled guilty to Operation Griffon charges in 2011. John Halfe, 39, will go to trial in December.
