Bad Apple In Hilary Swank's Barrel

Two-time Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank has been fined for bringing forbidden fruit into New Zealand, after getting thumbs down from judges in an appeal, a court said Wednesday.

Swank was issued notice of a fine for breaching New Zealand's strict quarantine laws when she failed to declare an apple and an orange while arriving at an airport on Jan. 15 on a flight from Los Angeles, but appealed the penalty to a court.

The Manukau District Court on Wednesday advised the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry that Swank's appeal had been rejected and that she had been fined 200 New Zealand dollars (US$142) plus costs of NZ$30 (US$21).

Swank, winner of the Best Actress Oscar for her role as a boxer in Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby," had written to the ministry seeking a court hearing to have her fine expunged.

"After my 20-hour flight I simply forgot I had one orange and one apple. I do apologize sincerely," she said in her handwritten letter.

The ministry noted that all international travelers are obliged to declare all foodstuffs they may be carrying when entering New Zealand.

Thousands of visitors arriving in New Zealand are slapped with on-the-spot fines each year for not declaring agricultural products such as fruit. Few contest the fines.

New Zealand is largely free of insect pests that cause billions of dollars in damage to crops and livestock in other parts of the world.

Swank also won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the 1999 movie "Boys Don't Cry."