Johnny Depp’s Business Manager Claims Actor Was Aware It Was Illegal To Bring Dogs To Australia

Johnny Depp’s former business managers recently claimed that the actor was aware that it was illegal to bring his dogs to Australia.

In the legal documents filed by The Management Group (TMG) (via People), Depp’s former managers stated that the actor was knowledgeable about the rules of the country when it comes to bringing in pets. In 2015, the actor brought his dogs, Pistol and Boo, to Australia while filming his latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” film.

“Depp falsely claimed to authorities in public press interviews that the incident was a big misunderstanding because he supposedly believed his staff had obtained the necessary paperwork,” TMG’s court documents revealed.

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Additionally, the company said that Depp urged one of his longterm employees to take the fall on his behalf in relation to Pistol and Boo’s unauthorized trip to Australia. The dogs’ presence was discovered by Australian authorities after a groomer posted a photo of Pistol and Boo on Facebook. Australia has very strict quarantine laws, so Depp was given 72 hours to send their dogs back to the United States or they will be euthanized, as per Agriculure Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Following the incident, Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, faced possible 10-year jail time or a large fine for charges that she illegally imported the dogs and produced fake documents. Heard avoided jail time after pleading guilty to falsifying documents. However, the actress was required to pay a $1,000 fine. Heard and Depp also released an apology video that was played in court.

While speaking with Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Depp opened up about the incident and said, “I think the choice they made to utilize the tax payers’ dollars to globally chase down a couple of teacup Yorkies and give them 50 hours to live… I realized the badness of my ways, so I was repenting.”

According to People, Depp recently filed a case against TMG, saying that the company defrauded him out of millions of his earnings. However, TMG fired back by saying that it was the actor’s uncontrollable spending habits that left him unable to pay his debts.