NEW YORK –  The government has urged a New York judge to toughen bail conditions on a Florida man criminally charged with smuggling dinosaur fossils into the United States, calling him a "participant in the black market" for stolen fossils.

Federal Magistrate Judge Henry Pitman on Monday reacted skeptically to claims by prosecutors about Eric Prokopi (pro-KOH'-pee). He lifted the home confinement requirement imposed by a Florida judge after Prokopi's arrest last week on a conspiracy to smuggle illegal goods charge. He also boosted bond from $100,000 to $250,000 as Prokopi remains free.

Pitman rewrote the bail conditions during Prokopi's first appearance in Manhattan federal court. He mostly rejected the argument that Prokopi is a flight risk because he can sell dinosaur skeletons for large sums and has connections overseas.