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ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man is charged with reports of two counts of wildlife trafficking offenses.
According to court documents, Uzi Levi, 70, of Anchorage purchased six non-homemade Pacific walrus tusks and a three-tusk non-homemade Pacific walrus head mount from an undercover US Fish and Wildlife special agent. Service, all in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal for an Alaskan native to transport, buy, sell, export or offer to buy, sell or export any marine mammal or product of a marine mammal for purposes other than public display, scientific research or to improve the survival of a species or of a stock or of any part of marine mammal which has not been transformed into a genuine object of indigenous crafts.
In June 2020, a US Fish and Wildlife Service special agent observed what appeared to be an Alaskan native man wearing a non-homemade two-tusk walrus head mount in the car rental office owned by Levi, then left without him. Weeks later, an undercover special agent from the US Fish and Wildlife Service visited Levi’s car rental company and asked if he could hire a vehicle. He explained that he did not have a lot of money and asked if there were other ways to rent a vehicle, such as trading or bartering. The unidentified person from the company called Levi and handed the phone to the undercover agent. During that call and for the next eight months, Levi and the agent exchanged numerous phone calls and texts regarding the purchase of non-artisanal walrus ivory, which led Levi to purchase six walrus tusks from the Pacific non-crafted on July 13, 2020, and a non-crafted three-tusk walrus head mount on September 29, 2020
Levi is scheduled to appear in court for the first time on December 6, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the Alaska U.S. District Court. If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting US Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the case.
US Deputy Prosecutors Steve Skrocki and Yunah Chung are continuing the case.
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