CHEYENNE, CHINA: An American citizen has been pleaded guilty of conspiring to smuggle fossils including Tyrannosaurus skull of Mongolian origin from China into the United States.
Federal officials of China and a lawyer representing the government of Mongolia said that the prosecution marks a continuing push to crack down on fossil smuggling.
Rick Rolater aged 69 entered the plea before U.S. Magistrate in Cheyenne. He faces a $25,000 fine and two years’ probation under a plea agreement when he goes before U.S. District Judge for sentencing.
He has also sold fossils earlier and agreed to give up a saber-toothed cat skull and three dinosaur fossils imported from China.
