Two Utah men were indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court on felony wire fraud and false statement charges for allegedly trying to buy horses from a government-sponsored sale with intentions to resell the animals for slaughter in Mexico.
Robert Wilford Capson, of West Jordan, 59, and Dennis Kay Kunz, of Willard, 56, face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment, the two schemed to illegally buy horses at the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro sale earlier this year.
Capson told BLM officials that he wanted to buy the horses to breed rodeo stock in Ibapah (Tooele County) the indictment states. Capson and Kunz actually planned to take the animals to Mexico, where they would be killed, the indictment alleges.
BLM agents suspected Capson wasn’t being truthful about his plans for the animals and monitored him after the 64 wild horses were brought to Willard. Capson loaded the horses into a trailer owned by Kunz on Aug. 5, and agents intercepted the animals near Helper as Capson and Kunz drove the horses toward the border, the indictment states.
The horses were later transferred to a BLM holding facility in Herriman.
Capson and Kunz are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in coming weeks.
Twitter: @mrogers_trib
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