CHARLESTON, S.C. (WTOC) - One man has been ordered to pay $15,000 after trafficking sperm whale bones, teeth, and other parts for at least three years.

Lauren Deloach, 69, of St. Helena, has been sentenced to 30 days of home confinement and a $15,000 fine for violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Lacey Act, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office today, September 16, 2025.

The release says that evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Deloach illegally imported, sold, and possessed sperm whale teeth and bones from September 2021, through September 2024.

Deloach knew importing and selling these whale parts was illegal and would falsely label shipments with these products to avoid detection from law enforcement, officials say.

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