Why Gibson Guitar Was Raided By The Justice Department The Record NPR. Federal investigators look through the workshop at the Gibson Guitar factory during a raid on the Memphis facility last week. Jim WeberThe Commercial AppealZUMAPRESS. Jim WeberThe Commercial AppealZUMAPRESS. Federal investigators look through the workshop at the Gibson Guitar factory during a raid on the Memphis facility last week. Jim WeberThe Commercial AppealZUMAPRESS. UPDATE September 6, 2. Andrea Johnson, director of forest programs for the Environmental Investigation Agency, wrote to NPR to express concern over two points in this story. First, the word verify more accurately reflects the requirements placed on end users of endangered wood. The Lacey Act, Johnson wrote, does not require any certification at all per se. Gain practical and professionallevel experience with MIs audio engineer training. Visit MI. edu to learn more about our audio engineering school. I try to make very laid back music. I dont like too much going on in my songs. As of December 2017, Ive released a total of 6 projects. Click on this banner to see the other MP3 downloads THE BigO AUDIO ARCHIVE Music Sharing Readers are welcomed to contribute and share their favourite. In the forestry world, certify implies independent third party certification, or government stamps, neither of which the US government recognizes as proof of legality. Johnson also says she mis spoke when she said that Gibson was on the ground in Madagascar getting a tour to understand whether they could possibly source illegally from that country. I used illegally when I meant legally in talking about the trip to Madagascar, she writes. I didnt realize Id done this until I was listening to the piece. I really wanted to be clear the objective of that trips organizers was to look into whether there were opportunities for good wood sourcing, and in the end after seeing the risks, only Gibson continued to purchase. Last week federal marshals raided the Gibson Guitar Corporation in Tennessee. It wasnt the first time. The government appears to be preparing to charge the famous builder of instruments with trafficking in illegally obtained wood. Its a rare collision of music and environmental regulation. In the hottest part of an August Tennessee day last Thursday, Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz stood out in the full sun for 3. We had a raid, he said, with federal marshals that were armed, that came in, evacuated our factory, shut down production, sent our employees home and confiscated wood. The raids at two Nashville facilities and one in Memphis recalled a similar raid in Nashville in November 2. Slacker Radio is a free internet radio service, light years away from the onedimensional playlists that youre used to. Personalize hundreds of music stations, as. Get up to the minute entertainment news, celebrity interviews, celeb videos, photos, movies, TV, music news and pop culture on ABCNews. Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Music' title='Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Music' />Subscribe today for full access on your desktop, tablet, and mobile device. Subscribe Now. Madagascar. They were enforcing the Lacey Act, a century old endangered species law that was amended in 2. But Juszkiewicz says the government wont tell him exactly how or if his company has violated that law. Were in this really incredible situation. We have been implicated in wrongdoing and we havent been charged with anything, he says. Our business has been injured to millions of dollars. And we dont even have a court we can go to and say, Look, heres our position. The U. S. Justice Department wont comment about the case its preparing, but a court motion filed in June asserts Gibsons Madagascar ebony was contraband. It quotes emails that seem to show Gibson taking steps to maintain a supply chain thats been connected to illegal timber harvests. Andrea Johnson, director of forest programs for the Environmental Investigation Agency in Washington, says the Lacey Act requires end users of endangered wood to certify the legality of their supply chain all the way to the trees. EIAs independent investigations have concluded that Gibson knowingly imported tainted wood. Gibson clearly understood the risks involved, says Johnson. Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Music' title='Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Music' />Was on the ground in Madagascar getting a tour to understand whether they could possibly source illegally from that country. And made a decision in the end that they were going to source despite knowing that there was a ban on exports of ebony and rosewood. Gibson vigorously denies these allegations, maintaining that all of its purchases from Madagascar have complied with U. S. and Malagasy law. A company attorney says Gibson has presented documents to support that claim and that the recent raid seized legally obtained wood from India. He adds that the company stopped importing wood from Madagascar in 2. Chris Martin, Chairman and CEO of the C. F. Martin Guitar Co. Nazareth, Pa., says that when he first heard guitars built from Madagascar rosewood, he dreamed it might be the long sought substitute for Brazilian rosewood, whose trade was banned in the 1. Then the situation in Madagascar changed. There was a coup, Martin says. Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Music' title='Big Fish Audio Nashville Sessions Music' />Why Gibson Guitar Was Raided By The Justice Department The Record Last week the government raided the Gibson Guitar Corporation for the second time in. Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Theatre and More Online at TicketsInventory. Jango is about making online music social, fun and simple. Free personal radio that learns from your taste and connects you to others who like what you like. Download Numerical Electromagnetic Code Free on this page. What we heard was the international community has come to the conclusion that the coup created an illegitimate government. Thats when we said, Okay, we can not buy any more of this wood. And while some say the Lacey Act is burdensome, Martin supports it I think its a wonderful thing. I think illegal logging is appalling. It should stop. And if this is what it takes unfortunately to stop unscrupulous operators, Im all for it. Its tedious, but were getting through it. Others in the guitar world arent so upbeat. Attorney Ronald Bienstock says the Gibson raids have aroused the guitar builders he represents because the Lacey Act is retroactive. He says theyre worried they might be forced to prove the provenance of wood they acquired decades ago. There hasnt been that moment where people have quote tested the case. Microsoft Office 2007 Blue Edition - Working Tested. What is compliance What is actual compliance How have I complied Were lacking that. Hes even warned clients to be wary of traveling abroad with old guitars, because the law says owners can be asked to account for every wooden part of their guitars when re entering the U. S. The law also covers the trade in vintage instruments. Nashvilles George Gruhn is one of the worlds top dealers of old guitars, banjos and other rare stringed instruments. Its a nightmare, he says. Counter Strike Beta 7 Windows 8.1'>Counter Strike Beta 7 Windows 8.1. I cant help it if they used Brazilian rosewood on almost every guitar made prior to 1. Im not contributing to cutting down Brazilian rosewood today. Gruhn acknowledges that the government has tried to create exemptions to cover vintage instruments. But he says they are rife with delays and to play it safe hes nearly eliminated the 4. This is a new normal, says the EIAs Andrea Johnson. And it takes getting used to. Johnson defends the Lacey Act and the governments efforts to enforce it. Nobody here wants this law to founder on unintended consequences, she says. Because ultimately everybody understands that the intent here is to reduce illegal logging and send a signal to the markets that youve got to be asking questions and sourcing wood in a responsible way. What constitutes that responsible way may only become clear when the government finally charges Gibson and the company gets the day in court it says it wants so badly. Breitbart TVTuesday on MSNBCs Deadline White House, while discussing President Donald Trump endorsement of Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, host Nicolle Wallace said the Republican Partys soul was going, going, gone. Wallace said, We dont want that. We would ratherby. Pam Key. 5 Dec 2.