4 people charged with stealing $1 million of dinosaur bones from Utah and selling them to China

• 4 people are accused of stealing paleontological items worth over $1 million from Utah's public land.
• Some of the items, which include dinosaur bones, were illegally sold to China, the DOJ said.

Four people are accused of conspiring together to steal $1 million worth of dinosaur bones from public land in Utah and then selling them to China, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday.

Vint Wade, 65, Donna Wade, 67, Steven Willing, 67, and Jordan Willing, 40, are charged with violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA), a press release by the US Attorney's Office in the District of Utah said.

The indictment alleges that the group worked together to purchase, transport, and export dinosaur bones taken from federal lands from March 2018 until at least March 2023.

The public lands in question hold bones, fossils, and other paleontological resources dating back to the Jurassic period, it said.

In addition to the PRPA violations, the defendants are also charged with conspiracy against the US, and theft of property of the US, among other charges, as outlined in an indictment.

The Wades, who are the owners of a rock store in Moab, paid cash and checks to known individuals and third parties to extract the ancient materials, according to the indictment.

They stockpiled the items with the intention of selling them at gem and mineral shows, and to traffic some illegally to China, it said.

The Willings bought over $1 million of dinosaur bones and other items, and shipped them to China, according to the indictment.

The defendants tried to avoid the suspicions of federal agents by labeling them as wood, rocks, and stones, and also by deflating their value, it said.

The indictment added that the alleged conspiracy resulted in more than $3 million in damages, encompassing the commercial and scientific worth of these resources, in addition to the restoration costs.

The Wades are from Moab in Southeastern Utah. In a statement, Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah State Director Gregory Sheehan said the area is a "well-known destination for visitors to experience paleontology on the landscape."

He added: "The public deserves the opportunity to benefit from and appreciate prehistoric resources on the lands."

According to the indictment, the defendants were scheduled for their first court appearance on October 19.

The US Attorney's Office in the District of Utah did not immediately respond to a request for comment, sent out of business hours.