Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Richard C. Livingston, Special Agent in Charge, National Marine Fisheries Service, announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Miami, Florida, returned an indictment charging Rickinato Hindra in connection with a scheme to commercially market leopard sharks taken from Californian waters which were under the legal size limit for such animals of 36 inches total length, in violation of the Federal Lacey Act.

Specifically, Hindra is charged with seven separate counts, or instances of marketing leopard sharks, during the period from April 2000 and May 2003. According to the indictment today, 48 leopard sharks were sold to seven separate South Florida businesses. If convicted on all counts, Hindra faces a possible prison term of up to 35 years’ imprisonment, and fines of up to $1.75 million.

According to statements by the government in Court and the allegations in the indictment, Hindra, an Indonesian national, has operated an aquarium wholesale establishment in South Florida for approximately four years.

The leopard shark (Triakis semifiate) is a small coastal shark in the hound shark family, which can grow up to six feet. Indigenous to the Pacific Ocean, it is found from Southern California south through the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. The California Fish & Game Code places a size restriction on leopard sharks that prohibits the take, possession, sale, or purchase for commercial purposes of any leopard shark less than 36 inches in total length.

Mr. Jiménez commended the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service and the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald.