PORTLAND, Maine — A man pleaded guilty this week to trafficking whale and bird parts in violation of federal wildlife laws.

Sergey Bachkovsky. of Green, Maine, admitted in U.S. District Court that between June 2023 and March 2024 he imported protected wildlife from Eastern Europe and sold it online to buyers across the U.S.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the items included sperm whale and marine mammal teeth, some carved into scrimshaw art, blue whale and Antarctic minke whale ear bones, and a broad-winged hawk carcass.

Investigators said Bachkovsky sold the items through eBay and shipped them from Maine to an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent in New York. A search of his home later uncovered additional wildlife parts, including eagle feathers, hawk wings,

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