Two indicted on charges of shipping coral from Hawaii to SoCal

Friday January 31, 2003

LOS ANGELES (AP) Two men were charged Thursday with illegally shipping coral and other undersea life worth an estimated $1 million from Hawaii to the mainland in the 1990s.

Prosecutors allege that John Marquardsen, 50, of Haleiwa, Hawaii, and Rodolfo Tagle, 50, of Santa Ana, were part of a ring that illegally collected 100 tons of live rock and coral from the reef system in Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu, U.S Attorney Debra Yang said.

The removal caused more than $5 million damage to the fragile Oahu reef system, Yang said.

Authorities say Marquardsen shipped the live rock and coral to Los Angeles International Airport in the mid-1990s, where Tagle took possession of it and distributed it to Southern California stores. From there it was sold for use in aquariums, prosecutors said.

The men were charged with conspiracy, 24 counts of trafficking in wildlife that was obtained in violation of Hawaiian law, and 24 counts of shipping the coral and live rock via commercial airlines by falsely describing the shipments as ``smoked fish'' and ``smoked seafood,'' Yang said.

If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of five years in prison on each count.

King Wong, 56, of Honolulu, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing. Authorities say he aided in packaging the coral and preparing phony paperwork that allowed it to be shipped to Los Angeles.

Two other people who previously pleaded guilty to helping distribute the coral and live rock throughout ges of the Democratic presidential race like an irrelevant sideshow, but Republican political analysts are closely watching the emerging field of candidates.

And many say they expect the 2004 race to be close citing the struggling economy and the country's close partisan split.

``Anyone who's been through this process knows that a year in politics is a very long time,'' said Scott Reed, who headed Bob Dole's losing GOP campaign in 1996. ``Clearly, a nomination is always worth fighting for.''

GOP strategist Charlie Black said, ``We're going to plan that it's close and hard-fought and operate that way.''

Even though Bush looks relatively strong now, with job approval near 60 percent and a strong bond with the public, veteran strategists like former party chairman Rich Bond remember the GOP nightmare of 1992. Bush's father was in free fall in the polls and the little-known Democratic governor from Arkansas named Bill Clinton took off like a rocket.

So GOP strategists are closely scrutinizing the Democratic field and researchers for the Republican National Committee are preparing attack strategies.

They contend that:

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is an ``ultraliberal'' who supports civil unions of gay couples and wants to roll back Bush administration tax cuts to support ``budget-busting'' universal health care.

North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is a lightweight who has accomplished little and is ``a captive of the trial lawyers,'' since he made his fortune in that profession.

Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt is ``a keeper of the liberal flame'' whose appeal with voters fell short in four attempts to win control of the House of Representatives and in a 1988 presidential run.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is a direct descendant of 1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, a governor of the same state.

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is failing to stick with his centrist, moderate policies as a senator, reverting to the adjustments he made in 2000 to fit in with Al Gore's liberal, populist presidential campaign.

The Rev. Al Sharpton is a welcome addition to the field because his attacks from the left will pull all the Democratic candidates toward the left opening the door to a backlash from centrist Democrats and swing voters in the general election.

The Democratic candidates frequently attack the Bush White House, but administration officials calmly deflect the criticism by saying they are ``jockeying for position.''

Bush tried to put the early stages of the campaign in perspective early this month from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

``One of these days, somebody will emerge, and we'll tee it up, and see who the American people want to lead,'' Bush said. ``And until that happens, I'm going to be doing my job.''

GOP strategists tend to see Kerry, Gephardt and Lieberman in the first tier of Democratic candidates, largely because each has experience and a relatively high profile within the party. Some others include Edwards in that top tier because of his Southern roots, personal wealth and telegenic appeal.

Some GOP strategists think Dean offers refreshing candor to the race, but few expect him to raise the money needed to compete. If Florida Sen. Bob Graham gets in the race after heart surgery, some GOP strategists say he could be a top-tier candidate thanks to his home state and his extensive experience.

Veteran Republican strategist Alex Castellanos said Bush has developed a close personal bond with voters over the last year and a half, but he also offered a warning to Republicans.

``As long as there's an election you can't take anything for granted,'' Castellanos said. ``Whom the gods would destroy, they first give a 70 favorable rating.''

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EDITOR'S NOTE Will Lester covers politics and polling for The Associated Press.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)