FBI Assisting Amber Heard Perjury Investigation Over Australian Smuggling Case
Heard blames jet lag for her blunder.
Ovidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock / YouTube The FBI is now assisting the Australian government in its investigation of Amber Heard over perjury allegations dating back to 2015, according to Law & Crime.
Heard's lengthy legal battle in Australia began with an incident while she was still married to Johnny Depp but is unrelated to Depp's recent defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife.
Amber Heard is being investigated for perjury in Australia after illegally bringing her dogs to the country.
In May of 2015, Heard brought her two teacup Yorkies, Pistol and Boo, to Australia while Depp was filming the fifth "Pirates Of The Caribbean" movie. At the time, Australian authorities demanded that the dogs be deported out of the country or face euthanasia.
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Heard allegedly did not have the necessary documentation when she entered the country with the pets.
Depp flew the animals back to the United States after a media frenzy, but Australian authorities charged Heard with illegally importing the animals without following proper guidelines.
The following year Heard pled guilty to a lesser charge of falsifying travel papers. Depp and Heard also recorded a video with her husband at her side apologizing for the incident
Heard blamed sleep deprivation and jet lag for her incident.
Depp's former estate accused Amber Heard of lying about her dogs.
Kevin Murphy, Depp's former estate manager, testified at Depp's libel trial in 2020 to a different story about the 2015 incident, saying he sent Heard numerous emails and phone calls saying she could not bring Pistol and Boo to Australia because proper paperwork was not complete.
Murphy also claimed Heard wanted former assistant Kate James to take the blame for Heard lying on the forms where she hadn't declared Pistol and Boo.
During the UK trial, Heard blamed Depp for the incident saying that he told her to send an email to find a veterinarian "to grease." A spokesperson for Depp says the claim is absurd, and Depp did no such thing.
The incident has caused outrage in both Australia and around the globe.
Australian Senator Glenn Sterle spoke during a committee hearing in October 2021, saying, "We're talking about two celebrities who thought they could circumvent Australia's biosecurity laws and smuggle two puppies into Australia."
Australia's Director of Biosecurity, Andrew Metcalfe responded, saying the individuals involved in the animal incident all live overseas, and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) must rely on help from "foreign collaborating bodies."
Some believe the Australian Government was waiting for a conclusion to the trial here in the United States between Depp and Heard so that they can use the evidence presented there to question Heard's credibility.
Heard is alleged to have breached Australia's strict import laws.
The country's laws state that dogs and cats can be imported to Australia, but they must follow strict conditions to avoid biosecurity risks.
The United States is listed as a Group 3 country where rabies is either absent or well-controlled. Still, animals must require an import permit to be allowed entry into Australia.
Failure to comply with Australian can result in animals being held longer in post-entry quarantine, subject to additional testing, exported, or euthanasia. Dogs must spend a minimum of then days at Mickleham post-entry quarantine facility.
It is unknown at this time what will become of Amber Heard if the Australian investigation finds Heard neglected to declare her animals.
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Kurtis Condra is a writer for YourTango, based in San Francisco, California. His expertise includes pop-culture deep dives, human interest stories, and news. When not writing for YourTango, he focuses on his poetry. You can follow his poetic journey on Instagram.