Chait – son of company founder Isadore Chait – falsified customs forms for overseas clients by stating that the CITES – controlled items were made of bone, wood or plastic.
After a rhino horn carving of Guanyin sold in September 2011 for $230,000, Chait made an invoice for the buyer stating that the item was plastic and cost $108.75.
The value of similar transactions listed in court papers totalled at least $1m.
