A notable golf course architect, credited with several high-profile redesigns and renovations, is facing prison time after pleading guilty to illegally transporting goods made from endangered species and other wildlife.
According to a Department of Justice release, Keith Foster could be sentenced to as many as five years in federal prison after he plead guilty Wednesday in Alexandria, Va., to smuggling between $250,000 and $500,000 worth of illegal items to sell at his Middleburg, Va., specialty shop, The Outpost, which he co-owned with his wife, Pam.
Foster, 60, was found to be in violation of the Lacey Act, which bans the trafficking of illegal wildlife or plants into the U.S. Sentencing is schedule for March 8, 2019.
The shop, which opened in 2012, was raided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents in November 2017 after an undercover agent first discovered the illegal practices the previous December. Foster reportedly talked to the agent on numerous occasions, discussing topics ranging from smuggling sawfish blades to Foster’s lack of permits.
Foster has several original golf course designs, though he’s best known for his redesign and renovation projects, which include Southern Hills, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Moraine Country Club, Baltimore Country Club and The Greenbrier’s Old White TPC. He is currently working on a renovation of Congressional Country Club and has recently been tasked with renovating both courses at Olympia Fields Country Club, which has hosted four major championships and most recently the 2015 U.S. Amateur.