TYLER (December 20, 2012)—Raymond Favero, 55, an Illinois geneticist, must pay $30,000 and serve three years of probation for illegally obtaining valuable semen from whitetail deer in East Texas.
A federal judge in Tyler sentenced Favero of Braidwood, Ill., who pleaded guilty in July to wrongful acquisition of wildlife in interstate commerce.
Texas law bars importing live whitetail deer or mule deer because of concerns about transmittable diseases.
Prosecutors said Favero must also pay a $6,000 fine and $24,000 to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Federation.
Investigators said that Favero acquired whitetail deer semen in 2007 from a buck in Cherokee County that he knew was illegally transported from an out-of-state source.
The semen was worth $92,000.
Investigators said Favero acquired more whitetail deer semen in 2008 from another buck in a similar case.
Prosecutors said deer semen can be used for in-vitro fertilization to populate ranches for trophy hunting.
