Bobcats for sale: a federal crime

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Two Coloradans have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly trapping bobcats and selling their pelts without a permit.

The 15-count indictment, handed down Monday, alleges that Jeffrey M. Bodnar and Veronica Anderson-Bodnar caught the protected cats in Park County in northern Colorado between late 2006 and March 2008. They allegedly sold the pelts to a fur dealer in Montana.

The Bodnars submitted false documents to Colorado game officials contending the animals had been legally caught. They are charged with, among other things, violating the federal law that forbids the interstate sale of protected animals, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. Bodnar is also charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a felon.

-- Nicholas Riccardi