SC man agrees to plead guilty to selling sperm whale teeth and bones
A Lowcountry man has agreed to plead guilty to federal felony charges of trafficking in sperm whale teeth and bones, according to court records.
Lauren DeLoach, a 69-year-old Beaufort area resident, trafficked in the importing and selling of sperm whale teeth and bones, according to an information — a federal criminal charging document — filed in U.S. District Court, Beaufort Division.
Sperm whales have been listed as an endangered species since 1970 and are protected under the Lacey Act, the nation’s oldest wildlife protection law. They are mammals, have lungs and breathe air.
DeLoach has agreed to plead guilty to a felony violation of the Lacey Act and will admit to the illegal trafficking of sperm whale teeth and bones, according to a plea agreement in the case.
Nathaniel Williams, a Charleston defense attorney who represents DeLoach, said, “We are looking forward to our day in court and explaining the full circumstances of what happened.”
Reached by telephone at his home, DeLoach declined comment, pending contacting his attorney. DeLoach is an artist in the Beaufort area.
DeLoach is subject to a prison term of up to five years and a maximum $250,000 fine for trafficking in sperm whale teeth and bones. He will also admit to a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes him subject to a maximum one year in prison, court records said.
The charging document noted that sperm whale teeth and bones have been prized as collectors’ items.
“Sperm whales (Physeler macrocephalus) were the largest species of toothed whales, with deep water habitat in all the world’s oceans. Sperm whales reached up to 78 feet in length and 45 tons. Individuals prized sperm whale teeth and bones as decorations or as a scrimshaw or painting medium,” according to the information in the case.
A sperm whale’s tooth may weigh more than two pounds, according to the National Wildlife Federation. The teeth of a sperm whale can sell for hundreds of dollars, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Sperm whales once numbered about 1.1 million, but their population today is estimated at about 300,000, according to the National Wildlife Federation. They were once widely hunted for body parts, which were used in lubrication and fuel oil.
Sperm whales are the largest marine mammals with teeth and are best known for their large, bulbous heads. The classic novel Moby Dick centered around a sea captain’s obsession with killing a sperm whale that had injured him.
Found in the deep water of most of the world’s oceans, sperm whales can live up to 60 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Populations of sperm whales, like many other marine mammal species, dwindled because of whaling practices and more recently, from collisions with boats and ships, according to NOAA. The species has benefited from a nearly 40-year-old international moratorium on commercial whaling, but is still recovering.
Today, sperm whales are listed as federally protected animals under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and they are listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
No date for DeLoach’s hearing has yet been set.
Federal prosecutors handling the case are Elle Klein and Winston Holliday.
This story has been updated
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 8:18 AM.