Escondido

An Escondido man convicted of conspiring to import exotic birds protected under U.S. law was sentenced Monday to almost two years in federal prison.

Michael Keith Daye, 41, who owns a pet store in Long Beach, also was ordered to pay $12,000 to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as restitution.

Daye’s 21-month term was suggested by Assistant U.S. Atty. Cynthia Millsaps. His attorney, Michael McCabe, urged a lesser sentence.

Daye could have received five years in prison for his guilty plea entered Feb. 15 to the felony charge and a $250,000 fine, said Millsaps.

U.S. District Judge J. Lawrence Irving allowed Daye to remain free on a $250,000 personal surety bond until Nov. 19, when he is to begin his term.

Daye’s wife, Jane Daye, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation on Feb. 16 of aiding and abetting transportation of protected wildlife into this country.

Jane Daye has been placed on one year probation, with no jail or fine imposed earlier this year.

The couple were among 10 others indicted by a federal grand jury on May 31, 1989, on charges they participated in an international smuggling ring to bring exotic parrots and rare birds into the United States.

Millsaps said most of the other co-defendants, who lived out of state, had already been sentenced.

The birds involved in this case included black palm cockatoos, worth as much as $10,000 each and hyacinth macaws, valued at $8,000 each.

The method the smugglers used kept the birds from being examined or going through the Department of Agriculture’s quarantine process. Various diseases, such as Newscastle disease, carried by uninspected birds often kill other birds.