An Alabama man is one of two people sentenced Wednesday for trafficking protected birds and eggs into the U.S.

Federal authorities say it’s the largest-ever case of its kind.

The New York judge sentenced Eufaula’s Toney Jones to six months of probation after he pleaded guilty last year to importing a stuffed protected bird of prey without notifying the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Dr. John Waldrop of Cataula, Georgia, was ordered to pay a $900,000 fine — one of the largest-ever for an ESA case — and to serve three years of probation.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Waldrop amassed an extensive collection of 1,401 taxidermy bird mounts and 2,594 eggs which included:

• Four eagles protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act

• 179 bird and 193 egg species listed in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act

• 212 bird and 32 egg species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This included incredibly rare specimens like three eggs of the Nordmann’s Greenshank, an Asian shorebird with only 900 to 1,600 remaining birds in the wild; no North American museum has any Nordmann Greenshank eggs in their collection.

Between 2016 and 2020, Waldrop imported birds and eggs without the required declarations and permits.

After USFWS inspectors at John F. Kennedy International Airport and elsewhere intercepted several shipments, Waldrop recruited Jones, who worked on his Georgia farm, to receive the packages.

Jones also deposited approximately $525,000 in a bank account that Waldrop then used to pay for the imports and hide his involvement.

Waldrop and Jones used online sales sites such as eBay and Etsy to buy birds and eggs from around the world, including Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

“Waldrop’s gigantic and rare bird collection was bolstered in part by illegal imports, where he and his enlisted co-conspirators intentionally avoided permit and declaration requirements,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).

“We applaud the efforts of the various federal and state law enforcement entities in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

Waldrop forfeited his collection.

The USFWS National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab examined the items and determined it to be the largest seizure of bird mounts in their 37-year history.

The ESA requires that all wildlife imports be declared to USFWS and have required permits, including species protected by CITES.

“The scale of this investigation underscores the critical importance of protecting our natural resources,” said Assistant Director Douglas Ault of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement.

“Waldrop’s collection included thousands of bird specimens and eggs, many of which are among the rarest in the world. This is one of the largest bird trafficking cases in history, and the commercialization of species protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and CITES highlights the conservation impact of Waldrop’s crimes.”

The USFWS Office of Law Enforcement in Valley Stream, New York, conducted the investigation as part of Operation Final Flight. The operation focused on the trafficking of protected birds into the United States. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources assisted with the investigation.