Courtesy photo by U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Three Lewis County timber cutters and a Winlock mill owner have been indicted on theft and other federal crimes in a case involving illegal harvest and selling of Big Leaf Maple, the wood from which is particularly valuable for musical instruments.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced yesterday Harold Clause Kupers, 48, owner of J & L Tonewoods, allegedly purchased the maple knowing it was stolen and then sold it to out of state companies for more than $800,000.
The tree cutters allegedly took the specialty wood from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
“The trees in our national forests belong to all Americans and should not be chopped up to enrich a few,” U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes stated. “In this case a beautiful and valued resource that is home to endangered species, was felled with some parts just discarded on the forest floor.”
Charged with theft of and damaging of government property are Ryan Justice, 28, of Randle, James Miller, 36, of Morton, and Kevin Mullins, 56, of Packwood, according to authorities.
Kupers is accused of giving training and assistance to the trio on how to retrieve the wood from various sites in the forest. The men would seek out “figured maple” which is especially valuable for musical instruments, according to Hayes.
According to the indictment, between October 2011 and March 2012 the tree cutters made approximately fifty sales of illegally-harvested maple wood to Kupers for his Winlock lumber mill. They allegedly would deliver pieces of the trees to J& L Tonewoods, where it was cut into salable blocks called “billets.”
Kupers is charged with receipt of stolen property and seven violations of the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in illegal wildlife, fish, and plants.
Justice and Miller are in custody pending detention hearings. Mullins has not yet made his initial appearance on the indictment.
Violations of the Lacey Act are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The other charges in the indictment are punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Forest Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
At the end of the day it’s a flipping tree not a human life so why do murderers get less prison time ? Because it’s goverment greed and control. They say these trees are all of us americans trees right well give us all the rights to a certain amount of them to do as we please with in our life time and then I will maybe start to believe they belong to all of us then. Just saying. And yeah that me sound crazy to most but it doesn’t sound as crazy as the smoke our government blows up our asses everyday…..well not to me anyway.
Moose Mullins did work for Timberline for two different contractors the first on got shit caned and everyone on the crew
except Moose Than Jodi Trimmer took over the contract and kept Moose on until Trimmer quit. So maybe you should double check where ever you got your information Or did you just pull that out of a hat.
Bates u must have been with them sense u no they are guilty untill they are found guilty why dont u and every one else keep your shit to your selves that’s unless u no more about it that we all do I dont need to make any excuses I dont no if they did or didn’t they’re the ones that gotta pay the price if they did do it so think how ever your little brain allows u to sounds like u got your minds made up without any trial or anything everyones got there own opinion about it that’s fine keep it to your self tell the facts come out
Well then there are two “Moose” Mullins’ from Packwood as I fired one of them when we were cutting helicopter ground for WKO/Timberline.
FACT!!
@ Bradley Miller – I don’t give a damn if the thieves are ur family or ur lover! They knew what they were doing was highly illegal!Keep making excuses for them.( this goes to all y’all siding with them) ,and when one of them or all of them commit a crime against y’all. DONT COME BOOHOOING TO THE LAW OR US!
The Enablers’ Mantra: “You don’t know him the way I know him…he just made a mistake…blah blah blah.”
Mistake: “An error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.”
Theft: “The act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.”
These so called maple theaves happen to be my family and I only got this to say everyone makes mistakes but only some get caught for all u shit talkers man up and put your name on your words or are u that much of a sorry bitch
XDs Kevin (Moose) Mullins has never worked for you and has never padded his time for any employer and has never been fired from a job. So shut your mouth .or show proof which you can’t so blow it out your a__. And as for you others Mullins isn’t in the drugs. What ever happened to a person being inecent until proven guilty
So it is sad the way they have butchered those maple trees. Perhaps they could have been cleabner about their theiving.
Perhaps they were just taking what was rightfully theirs. Their share of only one of at least 3 natural resources that at the end of the year the proceeds are to go back to the people. And we all know that Washington gives nothing back to its people, Like Alaska, Oregon etc…this is what happens when people are not treated properly by their own government/State. Don’t think drugs had anything to do with the stealing of this or any wood. Something to think about people. It is not always what ( the cops say it is) it seems!
No Steve Im the owner of a business I make 500$ a day 6ft 2. 210 pounds own my own vehicle that has 2 million in business insurance on it have my own home a fifth wheel and many grown up toys. Your wrong Steve but what ever you wanna say to make yourself feel better. Nice guess though maybe thats your description SteveO
Wow, the crazies are coming out the woodwork to attack Sleeping Giant. Big surprise there.
These brainwashed psychos directly complain about what Sleeping Giant has to say, but yet they offer absolutely nothing in return except juvenile insults.
The self-loathing in Lewis County is of epic proportions.
SG:: u probably smoking more bad chemicals in the pot u grow then what is in the fluoride ur drinking to save ur rotten teeth!
You’re an idiot sleeping Giant. Let me guess….. you’re a convicted felon, your license is suspended and you’re 5-06 and you weigh about 260lbs. Am I right?
Sleeping Giant you really , really like spewing your old tired rhetoric , I really do not give a shit what you think. I did not say one thing in their defense , I know what they are now. I’m old and I lived in Packwood for 50 years and I am not real far away now. I know exactly what they have done. I do not give a shit what they have done , they always do their time . They were not always what they are now. I would at one time have trusted them in my home. So keep your creepy Government conspiracies to yourself. They were never perfect and they did not end up well but they come from good folks and that is all I said and Beenthere ,I do not care if he is entitled to his opinion that is all I did too was give my opinion and if you are trying to tell me Meth should ever be legal then you are an idiot , both of you. Oh and by the way I am not on Gubmint ( as you so eloquently put it ) money. I still work a 40 hour week and pay my taxs so you can shove that rant to.
And to think it all started with one little harmless glass of fluoridated water…..
Yes, keep drugs illegal and keep the profits in the hands of criminals.
State governments don’t need revenue, drug dealers do!
I dont think SleepingGiant is stupid and he is entitled to his opinion. Here is an artical that is a good read, it discusses legalization and gives some statistics. http:// content. time. com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html
Once again Sleeping Giant has shown that his brain is asleep. To even think that “if these drugs were legal” and “there were more jobs to go around” in the same sentence is asinine. Do you actually believe that if the type drugs that are out there now were legalized that there would be any jobs.??? Get real moron. You come on here all the time and show everyone just how stupid you are.
A thief is a thief regardless if it is maple, gold or dirt.
The only good thief is a dead thief.
Yeah there mommas little Angels sunshine girl. I knew them since they were kids. Did you know them when they were stealing wood from the forest? Good grief lets do a hair drug test on them and see what they really do. Also i know some people related to high up Department of Corrections staff. Their full blown drug addicts. Power corrupts all. Normal people dont steal for a living, this is stealing and im sure drugs played a role in it. If drugs were legal the price of them would fall and crime would also fall with it. So yeah making drugs legal would help. Police statistics back this up when it comes to drugs and crime. Remember the dog shot in Centralia the guy claimed they were after his Casino winnings? Maybe just maybe if the Marijuana plant would be allowed to grow freely this would of never occured. Drugs fuel property crimes, make all drugs legal property crimes fall. Since the dawn of time man has used drugs. Since big Gubmint became involved drug prices have sky rocketed. Marijuana used to be 4500 a pound now its like 2500 at the high end. Why because its legal.. but yeah thats the dumbest comment on this site ever right Sunshine Girl. Enjoy that fresh cup of Fluoride its a drug too. One that is proven to lower your IQ.. Harvard study backs me up all day long.. but hey Drugs that make us dumber are Trendy
I have known two of these guys since they were little and once upon a time they were good kids with decent hard working parents . To wish these drugs were legal is about the stupidest thing I have read on this forum.
Well maybe if there were more jobs to go around and drugs were legal this type of activity would not be a problem. Instead. Its just America land of the BS laws.
Harold “KOOP” Kupers and Kevin “Moose” Mullins both used to work for me and I fired them for padding their time.
Harolds wife is also very high up in the Washington Department of Corrections so it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
It’s great that they are finally going to prosecute some of these guys. This has been going on in the Packwood and Randle area for some time.
These thieves have cut down or just cut out the burls of many of our grand old maples on both public and private land. Some of the perpetrators are just sorry tweekers trying to support their habit and some are organized profiteers.