It come as no surprise that Gibson citizens are angry that the factory was raided by federal marshals in 2011.
An angry Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz "We had a raid," he said. They came in, evacuated our factory, shut down production, sent our employees home and confiscated wood. Our business has been injured to millions of dollars. "
The agents were enforcing the Lacey Act, a century-old endangered species law that was signed into law in 1900 amended in 2008, to include plants as well as animals.
The charges against Gibson constitute a felony, and if proven, the company could face fines and the executives involved could face jail terms.
The US Justice Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service have assured that musicians who unknowingly possess instruments made from illegal wood would not be treated as criminals.