An Oklahoma man was sentenced to one year in federal prison for his involvement in transporting stolen African elephant ivory tusks to Tyler for sale.
Dusty Caudill, 37, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to the transportation of wildlife in violation of state law Tuesday in federal court in downtown Tyler. He was then sentenced a year in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Information in court said Caudill conspired with David Bartlett and Darryl Garcia in February 2021 to transport the stolen ivory tusks from Ardmore, Oklahoma to Tyler to be sold. Officials said the tusks were stolen during a burglary of a home in Ada, Oklahoma in late 2020.
According to the Department of Justice, Bartlett negotiated the sale of the tusks with someone he believed to be a Houston resident for over $10,000. An investigation determined Caudill and Garcia took the tusks from Caudill’s car in Ardmore and placed them in Garcia’s car.
Garcia then picked Bartlett up and the two of them took the tusks to Tyler, where they thought they would meet the buyer from Houston. But the men were greeted by federal wildlife agents.
Authorities said African elephants are a protected wildlife species under the federal endangered species act, and wildlife includes any part of the animal.
Last December, Garcia was sentenced to two years of probation and 50 hours of community service. In February of this year, Bartlett was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and one year of supervised release, according to federal court records.