Gibson doesn't have the best reputation in town for treating it's employees right. So it's possible Gibson was knowingly violating the law.
"As a result of this investigation and criminal enforcement agreement, Gibson has acknowledged that it failed to act on information that the Madagascar ebony it was purchasing may have violated laws"
Gibson gave up the consficated inventory, and paid a fine rather than continue to fight? Why? What information did the government have?
Pretty much, otherwise they're cowards willing to surrender over $600K to Mordor rather than fight for what's right.
Gibson's hands have never been clean in this.
With respect to the first raid, in which Madagascar ebony was seized, Gibson clearly did something it knew was illegal. Gibson representative Gene Nix had been on the ground in Madagascar and specifically had visited the 'factory' of Roger Thunam. Thunam had recently been released from prison for illegal lumber trafficking.
Nix emailed the executives at Gibson that Thunam's lumber was under seizure by the Malagasy government. He also emailed that there was no 'legitimate' source for Madagascar ebony.
However, Gibson bought Thunam's ebony through the German firm of Theodor Nagel, Gmbh.
If you read through all of the legal documents, you'll find that a source in Madagascar notified the U.S. about the illegal sale from Thunam to Nagel. You'll also discover that several other individuals who were on the lumber-finding trip with Nix gave statements that it was illegal for Thunam to export his ebony.
As Liberty Valance will attest, I've been crying in the wilderness since the August 2011 raid that Gibson was clearly guilty of violating the law in the previous Madagascar ebony raid.
The circumstances of the East Indian ebony and rosewood seizures are more complicated - involving changing Hamonized Schedule codes after the wood was shipped, misidentifying the contents of containers, failing to list the true ultimate consignee (Gibson was not listed on the import paperwork), and more. The parties involved with Gibson on that import were . . . Theodor Nagel Gmbh (again) and Luthiers Mercantile, a company related to Nagel.