Group Indicted for Allegedly Stealing $1 Million in Dinosaur Bones

A Utah couple and a father and son were indicted for allegedly stealing more than $1 million worth of dinosaur bones from federal lands, the Justice Department said in an announcement on Thursday.

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Authorities say the group violated the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, a federal law that prohibits the removal, buying, and selling of “paleontological resources” collected without a permit from a federally protected area. 

According to the indictment, filed in a Utah federal court last month, Vint and Donna Wade bought and collected dinosaur bones from two unidentified co-conspirators who had illegally collected them from federal lands in southern Utah. 

Authorities say the Wades “stockpiled” the materials to sell at gem and mineral shows as well as to Jordan Willing, of Los Angeles, and his son Steven Willing, of Ashland, Oregon, who used their business, JMW Sales, to export the bones to buyers in China. 

In a business profile published by CrunchBase, JMW Sales specialized in providing adventure and educational play products designed to “motivate kids to engage with and discover the natural universe, scientific and conservation.” 

While preparing the materials for shipping, authorities say the Willings mislabeled the bones and “vastly” deflated their value so government agents would not suspect they contained illegal material. 

Between March 2018 and 2023, the group allegedly sold more than $1 million worth of “paleontological resources,” which also amounted to about 150,000 pounds. Authorities added that collecting the materials caused more than $3 million worth of damage to federal lands. 

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins said because of the group’s actions, “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.”

According to the case docket, all parties involved made their first court appearance on Oct. 19, 2023. No other court dates have been set as of yet.

Source: https://outdoors.com/group-indicted-for-allegedly-stealing-1-million-in-dinosaur-bones/