CA shop owner to pay $150K for continuing to sell illegal fur products: Monterey Co. DA

(KRON) — A Salinas-based shop owner has been ordered to pay a large fine for knowingly selling “illegal new fur products” and violating California’s Fish and Game Code, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said its Environmental Protection Unit resolved a case against Tracy Odle, the owner of Augustina’s Designer Boutique and Augustina Leathers. Odle will have to pay $150K as part of the settlement.

“Even despite her actual knowledge of the ban, Odle continued to advertise and profit off of her sale of new fur products such as coats and hats made of fox, mink, sable, and beaver fur. These products were offered both in-store and online at her Carmel-by-the-Sea boutique and through the website augustinaleathers.com,” said the DA’s office.

A law banning the sale of new fur products in California went into effect Jan. 1, 2023, in response to growing concerns about animal cruelty in the fur industry.

The investigation kicked off after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife was alerted by a consumer complaint.