A Vietnam War helicopter pilot pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to illegally flying axis deer from Maui to Hawaii island in one of his helicopters, and flying mouflon cross-bred sheep from Hawaii island to Maui in a wildlife hunting case expected to expand.
U.S. District Judge Kevin Chang deferred sentencing for Thomas Leroy Hauptman, 63, until Sept. 18, when Chang will consider Hauptman’s motion to provide 500 hours of helicopter service to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii as part of his punishment for the misdemeanor charges.
Hauptman has done work for the UH agency, his lawyer said in court.
Hauptman told reporters outside of court that he flew the animals between the islands three years ago upon request of a hunter friend whom he did not identify. He said he did not know the animals would be used for hunting, and thought they would be put in pens.
He said he transported three deer and "half a dozen sheep" that were "small animals in cages, small cages. They weren’t grown animals."
"The thought was they were going to be penned," Hauptman said. "I thought he was doing a swap, mouflon for deer. He asked me if I would help out. … I thought they were going to be penned. His were all penned."
Hauptman faces up to a year in prison, fines up to $100,000 and one year of supervised release for illegally transporting the animals in December 2009.
On Thursday another defendant, Jeffrey Scott Grundhauser, is scheduled to enter a plea before Chang on misdemeanor charges that he sold axis deer and mouflon cross-bred sheep on June 6, 2011. Details of the sales were not disclosed.
Other federal indictments are possible, according to people familiar with the case.
Hauptman’s attorney, Philip Lowenthal, told Chang that his client is cooperating in the federal investigation against the "people whose bright idea this was in the first place."
In June, Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill that prohibits transporting live game mammals or wild animals interisland.
The cases against Hauptman and Grundhauser are being tried in federal court because of the Lacey Act, which is intended to offer federal protections for animals and other wildlife. It is unclear which federal agency conducted the investigation.
Axis deer have caused an estimated $18 million in damage on Maui, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials worry about the potential damage if their numbers expand on Hawaii island, said Earl W. Campbell III, assistant field supervisor of the agency’s Pacific Islands office.
Axis deer were introduced to Hawaii in 1867 as a gift to King Kamehameha V in Honolulu, then were shipped to Molokai in 1868, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. The sheep were introduced and "hybridized for hunting" in the 1950s.
But moving both species between islands has the potential for serious environmental damage, he said.
"It could be potentially devastating," Campbell said. "The movement back and forth is a significant environmental problem."
Hauptman declined to offer details about how he transported the animals, such as what kind of helicopter he used from his fleet. But asked whether he regretted transporting the deer and sheep, Hauptman said, "Yeah, absolutely."
CORRECTION: A photo in an earlier version of this story and on page A1 of today’s newspaper was of U.S. Fish and Wildlife assistant field supervisor Earl Campbell, not of Thomas Leroy Hauptman.
Also, axis deer were introduced to Hawaii in 1867. The story said they were introduced before western contact. In addition, the maximum fine is $100,000; the story said it was $10,000. Both errors were based on information provided to the Star-Advertiser.
