Ridgefield man pleads guilty to ivory trafficking

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A Ridgefield resident has pleaded guilty to trafficking in ivory, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Tim Davis, 55, of Ridgefield, admitted to participating in at least 74 transactions involving whale, elephant and walrus ivory in a nine-year period from 2006 to 2015, the release states. 

According to the plea agreement, Davis used sites such as Etsy, Ebay and Craigslist to buy and sell ivory products, the release stated. Davis’s main contacts were outside of the U.S., particularly in Asia.

In order to conceal the trade, Davis labeled the ivory products as “oxbone” the release stated. Between 2012 and 2015, Davis participated in a series of transactions with an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent. 

The release listed a few examples of those transactions, mentioning one sale of sperm whale teeth to the agent as well as Davis’s purchase of four walrus tusks from the agent.



“Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a probationary sentence with as much as six months of home detention,” the release stated. Davis will also forfeit ivory products obtained unlawfully.

“By buying and selling ivory products, this defendant was providing a marketplace for those who are hunting animals such as elephants and whales to extinction,” U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes was quoted in the release. “I commend the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for working diligently to stamp out this kind of trafficking. The laws we have enforced in this case are essential to preserving the kind of healthy planet we all want to leave to future generations.”

Deputy Assistant Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement Edward Grace commended the Department of Justice and other agencies involved.

“The illegal wildlife trade is a $20 billion industry that is rapidly driving elephants and many other animals to extinction,” Grace said. “The Service will continue to use every tool at its disposal to fight the trafficking scourge and the shameful individuals who are depriving our planet of these magnificent creatures for their own profit.