Giraffe Bone Lands Bay Area Couple In African Prison

FOSTER CITY, Calif. (AP) -- A San Mateo County couple was facing 20 years in prison and hefty fines for poaching after attempting to bring home a giraffe bone from Africa.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Tuesday that Jon and Linda Grant had to pay $62,000 in fines and bribes and get the help of a U.S. congresswoman before they earned release from a Tanzania jail in January.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, stepped in to help the couple when she learned of their plight from Charlie Bronitsky, vice mayor of Foster City, the Grants' hometown.

They had purchased the bone in a South African curio shop last December for $900. When they went to catch their return flight from Kilimanjaro International Airport, that's when the trouble began. Speier said she plans to meet with the Tanzanian ambassador to have a talk about international diplomacy.