In an undated handout photo, African elephants in Amboseli National Park.

In this undated photo, African elephants in Amboseli National Park.

(Sci Watch by Kate Yandell)

The Manhattan District Attorney's office and the state Department of Environmental Conservation today jointly announced the largest seizure of illegal elephant ivory in the state's history.

An indictment has been filed against the Metropolitan Fine Arts and Antiques Co., charging the store, its owners and a salesperson with selling and offering for sale illegal elephant ivory at a total cost of $4.5 million, according to a press release. The store is located at 10 West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan.

The amount of seized ivory in this case came from "more than a dozen slaughtered elephants," press release said.

"The conduct alleged in this case is abhorrent," said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance. "As the international elephant population hovers near extinction, too many ivory traders continue to profit from the slaughter of these beautiful, defenseless animals."

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, Metropolitan Fine Arts and Antiques is an art and antiques gallery, owned by brothers Irving Morano, 46, and Samuel Morano, 48, who "have been in the business of selling elephant ivory articles and carvings since at least 2007."

The two Moranos, along with the store and salesperson Victor Zilberman, 62, are charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with two felony charges of Illegal Commercialization of Wildlife.



The investigation began in 2015.

"On November 30, 2015, undercover officers from DEC purchased an elephant ivory carving from Zilberman. Zilberman claimed the item was mammoth ivory, and the officers paid $2,000 directly to Irving Morano, After the sale, DEC analyzed the item and identified it as a carving made from elephant ivory and not mammoth ivory," the press release said.

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"A search warrant executed at MFAA uncovered approximately 126 elephant ivory articles, including two pairs of uncarved elephant tusks - standing approximately seven and five feet tall. DEC determined that the smaller pair of tusks were from an African savannah elephant, and that the elephant was a young adult when it died. The retail prices listed for the tusks were $200,000 and $150,000. The total of the listed sales prices for the ivory articles seized from MFAA exceeds $4.5 million."

The items are expected to be destroyed as part of DEC's Ivory Crush on World Elephant Day in August 2017, DEC said.

The illegal trade of wildlife is big business, according to the DEC, estimated at international sources to be $7 billion to $23 billion annually.

Results from the 2016 Great Elephant census show that only 352,000 African savanna elephants are still living in 18 countries - a decline of 30 percent over the last seven years.

The Wildlife Conservation Society estimates that during 2010 to 2012 alone, "100 elephants were killed in Africa to fuel the illegal ivory trade - and New York remains one of the largest markets for that illegal ivory in this country.

State law makes it illegal to sell, or to offer for sale, elephant ivory unless the seller has been granted a license from the DEC. In 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law restrictions that effectively banned the sale of ivory articles except in limited circumstances, and strengthened penalties for violators.

Although the defendants in this case who previously had a license to sell ivory, the 2014 regulations made it nearly impossible for them to renew their license. The defendants didn't attempt to renew their license - and continued to sell the ivory items without one, the press release said.

"The worldwide elephant population is hanging in the balance. With today's action, we are sending a strong message to poachers, traffickers, and dealers that we are committed to stopping this heinous activity," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "I commend our Environmental Conservation officers, District Attorney Vance and the Wildlife Conservation Society for working to bring these lawbreakers to justice."

DEC reminds New Yorkers to report any environmental crime by calling DEC's toll-free, 24-hour police dispatch at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267).