MIAMI (AP) - A Chinese art and antique collector has pleaded guilty in South Florida to charges of smuggling carvings made from horns of endangered rhinoceros from the U.S. to China.
Prosecutors said Monday that 45-year-old Shusen Wei faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Wei is to be sentenced April 29.
Court documents show that Wei admitted traveling to Miami in January for an antique show and shared a hotel with another Chinese national, Zhifei Li. Wei said he paid Li commissions to purchase objects made from rhino horn in the U.S. and smuggle them to China.
Wei also says he knew the other person paid bribes to Chinese customs officials.
Li has pleaded not guilty to similar smuggling charges and awaits trial in Miami federal court.
