Gibson Guitar Factory Raided by Feds **UPDATE with Gibson Response

Federal agents with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service gather at the parking lot of the Gibson plant in Nashville, Wednesday, / Jae S. Lee / The Tennessean

Federal authorities conducted simultaneous raids at Gibson Guitaroffices and factories in Nashville and Memphis on Wednesday in the latest of a series of legal woes to strike the legendary guitar maker.

Gibson has been the subject of an ongoing federal lawsuit and a separate investigation into whether it illegally imported endangered ebony woods to use in its sought-after instruments.

Federal agents were tight-lipped about the reason for Wednesday’s raids — the second in two years — or what they yielded.

“We can’t get into specifics right now,” said Nicholas Chavez, special agent in charge with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which conducted the raids along with agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “This is an ongoing investigation.”

At Wednesday’s raid on Gibson’s Massman Drive facility — which manufactures the iconic Gibson Les Paul electric guitar — federal agents gathered inside while news reporters and photographers strained to see what was happening from across the street.

Tourists arriving at the Gibson Guitar factory in downtown Memphis found the doors locked and agents inside, theCommercial Appeal reported.

At Gibson headquarters on Plus Park Boulevard, a receptionist told a reporter that officials would not comment.

Efforts to reach Gibson officials and their attorney by phone were unsuccessful. Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has said previously the company was “fully cooperating” with federal officials.

The guitar maker is currently in the midst of a lawsuit stemming from the last federal raid.

In the November 2009 raid on its Nashville factory, authorities seized six guitars and pallets that they alleged were stacked with ebony wood from Madagascar rain forests. Federal authorities said the wood was imported in violation of the federal Lacey Act, which bars the importation of endangered plants and woods.

Claim contested

The government sued the company to permanently forfeit the items, claiming they are contraband — a claim Gibson is contesting.

In recent papers filed in that case, U.S. attorneys indicated that the government was weighing whether to pursue a separate criminal prosecution against Gibson or particular individuals — a process which could subject the company, its officials or other individuals to fines or jail time.

They’ve asked the judge in the case, William Joseph Haynes Jr., to temporarily suspend the forfeiture case while the criminal investigation is pursued. The case resumes on Monday.

U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin, citing ongoing investigations, said he was unable to comment on whether Wednesday’s raids were directly related to the case.

The raids come during a particularly trying period for the guitar company, which can trace its roots back to the late 19th century.

Gibson sustained extensive flood damage in May 2010 at the Massman Drive facility, which produces 2,500 guitars a month. The facility went offline for nearly three months.

Last March, the company sued its insurers, claiming the companies failed to fully cover its damages, which it placed at $17 million. That lawsuit was recently transferred from federal court to Davidson County Chancery Court.

Authorities raid Gibson Guitar factory in downtown Memphis

(WMC-TV) - Authorities carried out a raid Wednesday at the Gibson Guitar factory in downtown Memphis.

Few details were released about the raid, which was carried about by agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service.

Gibson has been under a cloud of suspicion because of wood that was used in some of its guitars. Gibson's factory in Nashville was raided last year because federal authorities believed some of the company's guitar parts were made from wood that was illegally cut and shipped from Madagascar.

Officials said agents were serving a search warrant as part of the ongoing investigation.

Through a window Wednesday, our cameras rolled as U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents took control of the factory floor and began to inventory stock. Meanwhile, UHaul trucks were waiting at the factory's loading dock to carry away materials.

In addition to activity in Memphis, a government spokesperson said, a similar raid was carried out Wednesday at the Nashville factory.

The factory in Memphis is closed for the day, and employees were sent home.

Feds raid Gibson Guitar Corp. in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Federal agents raided the Gibson Guitar Corporation in Nashville Wednesday morning.

Authorities have yet to release details as to why the facility on Massman Drive off Elm Hill Pike was raided although it's believed to be related to a raid at the same facility in November 2009 for possible violations of the Lacey Act.

The Lacey Act is a federal environmental law that prohibits importing endangered plants and wildlife. It was amended in 2009 to also include wood products.

During the raid in 2009, federal agents seized materials, files and computers from the plant on allegations that a rare ebony wood from Madagascar was illegally used at the factory.

Wednesday morning, several hundred employees at the facility were first evacuated. They were later told to go home after being allowed to reenter the building to collect their belongings.

The Gibson Guitar facility in Memphis was also raided by federal authorities Wednesday morning.

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remained on the scene in Nashville Wednesday afternoon.

Nashville's News 2 will update this story as more information becomes available.

Federal agents raid Gibson guitar plant

NASHVILLE — Federal agents on Tuesday raided a Gibson guitar manufacturing plant and seized guitars amid concerns about where the Nashville-based company obtains the fine woods that go into its instruments.

Television stations reported that authorities seized wood guitars and other items, but no one was arrested.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Gibson officials did not return a call to The Associated Press for comment.

But Gibson did issue a statement saying the company is “fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood.”

Guitars and other musical instruments are often built from tropical hardwoods. Amid rainforest depletion, such woods are increasingly the focus of tight controls.

“Gibson is a chain of custody certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards,” the statement said. “Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue of certification very seriously. The company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information.”

Gibson Guitar Corp. manufactures acoustic and electric guitars. The company also makes pianos through its Baldwin brand.

Nashville's News 2 will update this story as more information becomes available.