AUG. 16 I GIBSON I LEGAL
Gibson Pays $300K Penalty

Gibson has agreed to pay a $300,000 penalty and surrender wood seized during a criminal investigation in August 2011.

The agreement delays prosecution of Gibson’s alleged violations of The Lacey Act, which bars the importation of endangered woods. The Department of Justice had alleged that the company was illegally purchasing and importing ebony wood from Madagascar and rosewood and ebony from India.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice, the agreement requires Gibson to make a community service payment of $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The money will be used to promote the conservation, identification and propagation of protected tree species used in the MI industry and the forests where those species are found.

In August 2011, agents with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service raided Gibson’s facilities in Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., and seized several pallets of wood.

gibson.com