A Hartsel man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally trapping and killing bobcats and then selling their pelts to fur buyers in Kansas and Montana.
Jeffrey M. Bodnar, 37, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
His wife, Veronica Anderson-Bodnar, 46, was sentenced to five years of probation. She pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of Lacey Act trafficking and one misdemeanor count of making false statements in violation of the Lacey Act.
The Lacey Act is a federal law that makes it illegal to transport or sell in interstate commerce any wildlife taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of state law or regulation.
Colorado limits bobcat trapping to a specific season and requires trappers to obtain licenses. Colorado also generally prohibits the trapping of bobcats with leg-hold traps.
Bodnar admitted conspiring with his wife to unlawfully trap and kill bobcats using leg-hold traps and selling the pelts to buyers in Montana and Kansas. Much of the trapping was done on U.S. Forest Service lands in Park County.
According to prosecutors, the couple received thousands of dollars from the sales.
One buyer was an undercover special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. On March 6, 2008, prosecutors said the couple sold four bobcat pelts to the agent for $1,600.
Bodnar was also accused by state authorities of poaching a black bear, an elk, a mountain lion and a pronghorn, according to court documents.
During his three years of supervised release, Bodnar will be prohibited from hunting, trapping or fishing.
During her five years of probation, Anderson-Bodnar, also of Hartsel, will be prohibited from possessing firearms and also prohibited from hunting, trapping or fishing.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
