BOSTON — A Ukrainian man has been sentenced in a U.S. court after admitting to a plot to smuggle sperm whale ivory into and out of the country.
Andriy Mikhalyov, 39, of Odessa, pleaded guilty Monday in the Massachusetts court to conspiring to buy, sell and smuggle sperm whale teeth. He was sentenced to time incarcerated since his arrest, a period of more than nine months.
Sperm whale are an endangered species. The teeth are used in making scrimshaw, in which the ivory is etched to create a piece of art. Authorities said the case should help deter others from preying on endangered and threatened species.
(AP)