LOS ANGELES – A man who smuggled songbirds into Los Angeles from Vietnam by hiding them under his pants is facing up to 20 years in federal prison.
Forty-six-year-old Sony Dong of Garden Grove is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in Los Angeles.
Dong was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last March after arriving on a flight from Vietnam. Authorities found 14 birds he had wrapped in cloth and strapped to his legs and ankles.
Authorities say they could have sold for up to $400 each.
Dong pleaded guilty to illegally importing wildlife.
Authorities say another 51 birds were found at the Garden Grove home of co-defendant Duc Le. The 34-year-old Le has pleaded not guilty to smuggling charges and is scheduled for trial in May.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox