TAMPA - A Virginia nursery owner pleaded innocent Thursday to charges he smuggled a rare Peruvian orchid into Florida so scientists would name the species for him.
Michael Kovach of Goldvein, Va., found the dazzling ladyslipper that now bears his name at a roadside stand in the Andes Mountains in late May 2002. When he brought it to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota in June 2002, Selby's orchid experts agreed to publish a scientific description and name the new species Phragmipedium kovachii.
But Peruvian authorities complained that Kovach had failed to get the proper permits to take an endangered flower out of their country, and in August 2002, federal wildlife officials searched both Kovach's nursery and Selby Gardens.
After a yearlong investigation, a Tampa grand jury indicted Kovach in November on charges of smuggling, a felony, and illegal possession of an endangered plant, a misdemeanor.
If convicted of the felony, Kovach could face up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. The misdemeanor charge could result in a year behind bars and a $100,000 fine.
Kovach declined to comment after his arraignment in federal court in Tampa. His attorney, Robert Hearn, would say only that the case "should be interesting."
Selby officials pleaded guilty last week to possessing the orchid and agreed to a sentence of three years on probation and a $5,000 fine. Selby also must take out a full-page ad in an orchid magazine apologizing for its role in the case and write to the international body in charge of scientific names for species, urging that Kovach's name be taken off the orchid.
One of Selby's leading orchid authorities, Wesley Higgins of Cape Coral, also pleaded guilty to a possession charge, and agreed to pay a $2,000 fine and serve two years of probation, six months of it on home detention.
