SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 20, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — U.S. Justice Department officials Thursday announced the break-up of a dinosaur bone theft ring that allegedly gouged southern Utah for more than $1 million.
The four federally indicted alleged culprits sold the artifacts over a five-year period at gem and mineral shows and sometimes, China, according to a Thursday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah.
The release said a 13-count indictment charged the four with “purchasing and selling over $1M in paleontological resources, calling it environmental crime. “The dollar amount represents 150,000 pounds of paleontological resources, including dinosaur bones, illegally removed from federal and state lands in southeastern Utah.”
In addition to the selling over $1,000,000 in paleontological resources, the DOJ said, the defendants caused over $3,000,000 in damages that includes the commercial value of the resource, the scientific value of the resource, and the cost of restoration and repair.
According to court documents, Vint Wade, 65, and Donna Wade, 67, of Moab; Steven Willing, 67, of Los Angeles, and Jordan Willing, 40, of Ashland, Oregon, committed several felony offenses against the United States by violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA).
“By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones on federal land,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins.
“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to protecting paleontological resources throughout the State of Utah. We will hold accountable anyone who seeks to engage in similar criminal conduct.”
“The Bureau of Land Management should be greatly commended in dismantling the illegal trade of paleontology artifacts here in our community,” said Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins.
The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Monticello Field Office, the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office with assistance from Grand County Sheriff and San Juan County Sheriff Offices are investigating the case, the release said.
Between March 2018 and continuing until at least March 2023, the defendants allegedly purchased, transported and exported dinosaur bones from federal land, according to the allegations.
“The defendants further illegally conspired by knowingly concealing and retaining stolen property of the United States. As charged, in a typical execution of the conspiracy, the Wades purchased paleontological resources removed from federal land by paying cash and checks to known and unknown unindicted individuals.
“Those individuals removed the dinosaur bones for the Wades’ personal use. The Wades stockpiled paleontological resources to sell at gem and mineral shows to national vendors and to sell some of the illegally obtained paleontological resources to Steven and Jordan Willing.
“Using their company, JMW Sales, the Willings’ exported the dinosaur bones to China by mislabeling the dinosaur bones and deflating their value to avoid detection by federal agents.”
