Johnny Depp's pet dogs dodged the threat of being put down by
Australian authorities earlier this year, but his wife, actress Amber Heard, is
now facing criminal charges over the canine controversy.
The couple found
themselves in hot water in May after officials accused them of bringing their
two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, into Australia on a private flight
without the necessary permits, breaching the country's strict biosecurity laws.
Agriculture
Minister Barnaby Joyce blasted
the alleged act of doggie deception at
the time, saying, "Mr. Depp needs to take his dogs back to California, or
we're going to have to euthanize them."
Depp, who was in
Australia to film the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, acted quickly to get Pistol and Boo out of the
country.
But that wasn't
enough to satisfy Australian authorities.
Maximum sentence of 10 years in prison
Prosecutors this week issued a summons
for Heard, 29, to appear at a magistrates court in the state of Queensland on
September 7.
She faces two
charges of illegal import of animals and one charge of knowingly producing a
false or misleading document, Australia's Commonwealth Director of Public
Prosecutions said in a statement Thursday.
The illegal import
of animals carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of
102,000 Australian dollars ($75,000); the false document charge has a maximum
penalty of a year in prison and a fine of 10,200 Australian dollars ($7,500).
Depp not charged
Depp, 52, has not been charged over the
incident, the prosecutors said.
Heard starred
with Depp in the 2011 movie "The Rum Diary." More recently, she
appears in "Magic Mike XXL."
Since the dog
fiasco in May, Depp appears to have worked on making a more positive impression
in the Australian media, visiting
a children's hospital last week dressed
in the costume of his "Pirates of the Caribbean" character, Capt.
Jack Sparrow.
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