Four charged with stealing $1 million in dinosaur bones and selling them to China

Four people have been charged in Utah after they were accused of stealing $1 million worth of dinosaur bones and shipping them to China.

Utah residents Vint Wade, 65, and Donna Wade, 67, were charged along with Steven Willing, 67, of Los Angeles and Jordan Willing, 40, of Oregon, following their arrest in connection to the case.

The four have been accused of stealing the bones from Southeastern Utah over the course of five years, during which time they allegedly bought, transported and exported dinosaur bones from federal and state lands, according to the US Attorney's Office in Utah.

The Wades are said to have paid cash and checks to 'unknown unindicted individuals' to take dinosaur bones from federal land, before they were sold on at gem and mineral shows.

The Willings are accused of buying some of the illegally obtained resources, before using their company to export them to China.

'Resources' include any fossilized remains, traces, or imprints of organisms, preserved in or on the earth’s crust, that have paleontological interest and provide information about the history of life on earth, according to the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA).

Bureau of Land Management

The Willings allegedly mislabelled the dinosaur bones, and deflated their value to avoid the items being detected by federal agents.

In total, more than $1,000,000 in paleontological resources are said to have been sold.

US Attorney Trina A. Higgins condemned the crimes, stating: “By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones on Federal land.

"The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to protecting paleontological resources throughout the State of Utah.

"We will hold accountable anyone who seeks to engage in similar criminal conduct.”

Bureau of Land Management

The alleged crimes took place between March 2018 and March 2023, causing more than $3 million in damage as 150,000 pounds of bones and other resources were illegally removed.

Damages include the commercial value of the resource, the scientific value of the resource, and the cost of restoration and repair.

The four suspects have been accused of violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, which states a person cannot remove, alter, damage, sell or purchase paleontological resources located on Federal land.

The Willings and the Wades have all been charged with conspiracy against the United States, Paleontological Resources Preservation Act violation, and theft of property of the United States, as well as other charges.