The co-owner of the Portland Aquarium pleaded not guilty Friday to illegally harvesting marine animals at his arraignment in Florida federal court.

Ammon Covino, who owns the aquarium south of Milwaukie with his brother, was arrested in Boise in February and is accused of buying six marine animals for about $6,300 without proper permits and transporting them to the Idaho Aquarium. Covino is the president of the Idaho Aquarium, a facility similar to Portland's.

Covino’s trial has been set for September.

He was initially released from jail after posting $100,000 bond, but a federal judge ordered him back into custody a week later after prosecutors said he attempted to arrange destruction of information related to his case. As a condition of his release, Covino agreed not to commit any crimes.

A criminal complaint alleges Covino directed his 20-year-old nephew, Peter Covino IV, to call a Florida business and have it destroy certain information relating to a recent order Ammon Covino placed for four undersized and illegal nurse sharks.

According to court documents, two of those sharks would have gone to the Idaho Aquarium and two would have gone to the Portland Aquarium. They were set to be delivered a day after Ammon Covino’s arrest, prosecutors say.

Peter Covino pleaded not guilty in March to an obstruction of justice charge and is set to go to trial in July in Florida federal court.

While Ammon Covino awaits trial his attorney is attempting to have him released. Over the past month Covino has been held incarcerated in Idaho and Nevada before being transferred to Florida, according to documents filed by the attorney.

Ammon Covino and a business associate at the Idaho Aquarium, Christopher Conk, are each charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of illegal purchase of wildlife. Each count is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and five years in prison.

-- Victoria Edwards