MIAMI (AP) -- The owner of a South Florida antiques shipping business is facing up to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty in an elephant ivory trafficking case.
Raymond J. Reppert Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to illegally mislabeling ivory as resin or wood carvings on shipping documents.
Reppert faces sentencing Feb. 25 before Miami U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams. He also faces up $250,000 in fines.
Federal customs and wildlife agents say at least eight parcels containing ivory carvings but marked as something else were marked for shipment to China by Reppert between February and March 2014.
Elephant ivory products cannot be shipped out of the U.S. without special federal permission.
Many parcels also listed false return addresses. Reppert operates a shipping business in Dania Beach