California Couple Sentenced in Wildlife Trafficking Case

An Anaheim couple, Linh Luu and Kevin Le, were sentenced to three years of probation and fined $10,000 each after pleading guilty to violating the Lacey Act. Prosecutors said they processed $51,100 in payments between 2019 and 2021 to help a contact in Vietnam move protected wildlife parts between Vietnam and Oregon, including bear gallbladders, cougar bones, rhinoceros horns, lion teeth and a tiger pelt. In an undercover operation, the couple accepted payment for a rhino horn segment that was shipped to Oregon disguised as a household decoration. Officials said the case illustrates how financial facilitators help sustain wildlife trafficking networks.