An Anchorage man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to pay a $4,000 fine for illegally purchasing walrus tusks and head mounts during a sting operation.
Uzi Levi, the owner of Levi Car Rental & Sales on Dowling Road, was charged with two misdemeanor violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in November.
It’s illegal under the act to sell, purchase, transport or export the endangered Pacific walrus for anything other than public display, scientific research or enhancing species survival, the charges say. Alaska Native people are exempt from the act when taking walruses for subsistence or selling handicrafts and clothing.
In June 2020, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent saw an Alaska Native man carrying two walrus head mounts into Levi’s business office and leaving without them, the charges said.
About three weeks later, an undercover agent went to Levi’s car lot and asked if there were other ways to rent a vehicle, such as trade or barter, according to the charges. He talked with Levi multiple times about ivory during the next seven months, the charges said.
Levi met the undercover agent at his car lot and, according to the charges, purchased six walrus tusks for $300 in July and again met him in September to buy a head mount for $500.
Levi, now 70, pleaded guilty Wednesday to both federal charges and was sentenced to spend two years on probation along with the $4,000 fine.