HONOLULU (AP) - A father and daughter from the Federated States of Micronesia have pleaded guilty to smuggling giant clam meat into Hawaii.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports (https://bit.ly/1mUSUr9) 52-year-old Leo John and 22-year-old Flyona Lynn John pleaded guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act on Friday.
The daughter admitted she didn’t declare the clam meat and did not have permission to export it when she and her father entered Honolulu Airport in February 2013. The pair is from Chuuk state, where the clam meat is a delicacy.
They each face up to a year in jail when they are sentenced in June.
Prosecutors said Leo John was running for office, and he wanted to share the clam meat with supporters in Hawaii.
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