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Scrimshander faces smuggling charges
Manghis is being charged with one count of conspiracy, eight counts of smuggling and three counts of making false statements. If convicted Manghis could face up to 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000. Manghis could not be reached for comment and his wife refused comment at their Somerset Lane home on Friday. According to the indictment, Manghis was involved in a smuggling operation which spanned the globe from the former Soviet Republic of the Ukraine to California to Nantucket. The indictment alleges Manghis communicated with Andrity Mikhalyov in Ukraine via email and received eight shipments of sperm whale teeth and one shipment of elephant ivory between July of 2003 and June of 2005. Manghis would communicate with Mikhalyov regarding the specifics of the shipments related to the size and amounts of teeth he wished to purchase. Then an unnamed middleman from Yreka, California would receive the teeth from Mikhalyov, send them to Manghis, who would send the middleman the payments, often in the thousands of dollars, who would then send the money to Ukraine. One email from Manghis to Mikhalyov listed in the indictment had a subject line that read "large teeth" and described four "lots" of teeth. One of the lots was described as 18 kilograms of 500 to 600 or more gram teeth with a selling price of $4,500, with shipping included. Another of the lots was described as "800 gm tooth of excellent quality, totally polished to ivory luster for $500." Under international law, selling and shipping the teeth is illegal as was agreed on by 170 nations in the 1973 Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora. In some cases, where the teeth existed prior to the ban, it is legal to buy and sell the teeth, but proper documentation is required. "Neither Manghis, as the buyer/importer, nor Mikhalyov, the seller/exporter, would file documentation regarding the importation of the merchandise to customs agents," the indictment reads. "Manghis did not prepare any of the required paperwork for bringing wildlife into the United States." The indictment also alleges some of the illegally obtained teeth were sold on Nantucket, but does not specifically say where, when or how the transactions took place. Manghis does rent space in the corner of Nina Hellman Antiques on Centre Street. "It's a disgrace," said Nina Hellman of the charges. "We have no question in our mind he got them legally. He has always indicated that he is very careful about getting the materials he acquires legally." Hellman said she has been working with Manghis for 16 years, and had immense trust in both the quality of his work and his business practices. Hellman said she was never contacted by any authorities regarding the stock of sperm whale teeth Manghis has in her store and only found out about his arrest after he called her to make her aware of the situation. I According to the Federal Indictment, Manghis is being charged with smuggling relating to the following purchases and lying to investigators for the following statements.7, 9, 16 False statements Feb. 5, 2005:That two scrimshaw teeth presented to federal agents were purchased from a seller in California June 30, 2005: That there were no Russianorigin teeth present at his home June 30, 2005: That the sperm whale teeth previously seen by agents at his home were no longer present. |
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