Fredericksburg man charged with selling elephant, whale ivory

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - A Fredericksburg man pleaded guilty to the sale of elephant and whale ivory.

According to court documents, Gary L. Cooper, 60, was using online storefronts from June 2015 to early 2020 to sell elephant and whale ivory, which was in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Officials say Cooper used Craigslist and eBay to sell individual carvings made from ivory. The items ranged in size, including two raw elephant tusks that measured at least 28 inches long. In addition to several raw and carved tusks, the advertisements offered numerous elephant ivory carvings and both raw and scrimshawed sperm whale teeth.

Cooper told purchasers, including an undercover agent, that he was selling off an estate belonging to an elderly couple in poor health, when he was really buying ivory online and flipping the pieces.

Officials say for about 16 months, beginning in September 2018, Cooper did business with United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) undercover agents by selling or offering about 50 pieces of elephant ivory, valued between $40,000 and $95,000.

On November 17, 2018, Cooper offered to sell to an undercover USFWS Special Agent multiple ivory pieces for a total cost of $8,125. On November 26, 2018, he also sold two pieces of carved elephant ivory to the undercover agent and mailed the items from Virginia to New York.

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Forensics confirmed that it is genuine elephant ivory.

Cooper is scheduled to be sentenced on August 31 and has turned over about 136 pieces of raw and carved ivory. He faces a maximum of one year in prison.

This investigation was conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, with assistance from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.