Reno man pleads guilty to trafficking lion skull, leopard claws

Robert Barkman, 51, pleaded guilty to selling and shipping the endangered animal parts in 2016 to a man in New York for $1,400, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of his plea deal, he also admitted to receiving an additional $6,000 that year for trafficking threatened or endangered wildlife.

Barkman shipped the parts to Arongkron Malasukum, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2018 for his part in a scheme to export endangered animal parts to Thailand. The Justice Department said Malasukum trafficked nearly 70 packages containing animal parts valued at $150,000.

Barkman will serve his 60-day sentence over the course of a yearlong probation term, the Justice Department said.

As part of his probation, he’ll also be required to perform 100 hours of community service for a wildlife conservation group but cannot volunteer with a group that works with threatened or endangered species.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.