News

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio endorsed a consent decree entered between the United States and the owner of R & R Chinchilla Inc. to surrender over 300 remaining chinchillas at a breeding facility in Jenera, Ohio. The court order follows R & R Chinchilla’s voluntary surrender of roughly 800 additional chinchillas to animal welfare organizations pursuant to a modified temporary restraining order.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii earlier this week ruled that the U.S. Navy is not in violation of the Clean Water Act after it reviewed the Navy’s response to fuel releases in 2020 and 2021 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Oahu, Hawaii, and other substantial improvements the Navy has made in the fueling infrastructure and operations. The ruling follows a bench trial that was held earlier this year regarding claims that the Navy is in violation of the Clean Water Act at the Joint Base.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today affirmed the issuance by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) of a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for the Cainhoy Plantation development in Charleston, South Carolina. The published decision paves the way for a major, long‑term housing initiative designed to meet the needs of one of the country’s fastest‑growing metropolitan areas.

The Justice Department today announced that four additional individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to create and distribute videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

Linh Luu and Kevin Le, a husband and wife of Anaheim, California, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, to violating the Lacey Act. The court sentenced them to three years’ probation and a $10,000 fine each for their roles in trafficking wildlife between Oregon and Vietnam. 

Amanda Leigh Fourez, of Catlin, Illinois, was sentenced to 31 months in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with her involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute.