MOAB, Utah (NewsNation) — More than $1 million worth of dinosaur bones were stolen in Utah and shipped to China to be sold for profit, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned a 13-count indictment charging four people for allegedly purchasing and selling over $1M in “paleontological resources,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
Vint Wade, 65, Donna Wade, 67, of Moab, Utah; Steven Willing, 67, of Los Angeles; and Jordan Willing, 40 of Ashland, Oregon, were indicted on several felony offenses for violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act.
The bones were then sent to China by mislabeling and deflating their value to avoid detection by federal agents.
The four defendants are also accused of causing more than $3 million 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 the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Southeastern Utah is well-known destination for visitors to experience paleontology on the landscape. The public deserves the opportunity to benefit from and appreciate prehistoric resources on the lands,” said Utah Bureau of Land Management State Director Gregory Sheehan. “We are grateful to our team, including technical experts and law enforcement rangers, and the many partner-agencies who have committed time and energy to bring closure in this case.”
