AP News, September 14th, 2007
A hunting guide has been indicted on a charge of importing antlers and horns from game that was illegally hunted in Russia, but his billionaire client was cleared of charges, lawyers said.
Robert Kern, head of The Hunting Consortium in Berryville, Va., was indicted Wednesday on one count of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws.
Kern led a 2002 hunting trip in Siberia, where 74-year-old Houston energy tycoon Dan Duncan and other hunters shot moose and sheep while flying in a helicopter.
According to the indictment, "Kern used helicopters to locate trophy-sized moose and sheep for hunters on the trip. The helicopters were then used as airborne shooting platforms by the hunters."
"Bob Kern is not guilty of these allegations and will vigorously contest them in court and trial," said his attorney, Tim Heaphy.
Kern could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
In July, Duncan told a Houston grand jury he was unaware that hunting from an aircraft was illegal in Russia.
Rusty Hardin, Duncan's lawyer, said the grand jury declined to indict Duncan. "We're hopeful that this matter is over as far as Dan Duncan and the other hunters are concerned," Hardin said.
Duncan, who ranks 85th on Forbes' worldwide list of billionaires, has an estimated net worth of $8.2 billion. He is chairman of the company that manages Enterprise Products Partners, a midstream energy giant with more than 30,000 miles of natural gas, petrochemical and crude oil pipelines and other facilities.
