Florida Man Guilty In Illegal Lobster Shipping Case
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Shipping seafood isn't as simple as one person thought it would be.
A Florida man must pay a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to illegally shipping spiny lobsters he obtained to China.
A federal judge last week ordered 60-year-old Eric Burman of Boca Raton to serve three years' probation. Burman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the federal Lacey Act, which combats illegal trafficking in wildlife, plants and the like.
Court documents show that Burman obtained the live spiny lobsters from the Florida Keys and shipped them to Hong Kong from his business in Pompano Beach. Prosecutors say none of the proper permits and paperwork was filled out for the lobsters.
The fine will be paid into a federal fishery conservation fund.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
RELATED CONTENT:
