Category: Wildlife Trafficking
Adam Thatcher Lawrence, Leopard Importation, California 2018
Oakland Man Pleads Guilty to Mislabeling and Importing Leopard Hunting Trophy Adam Thatcher Lawrence, 38, of Willits, California, pleaded guilty to mislabeling and importing a leopard hunting trophy from South Africa in federal court in Oakland. According to the plea agreement, Lawrence admitted to hunting, shooting, and killing a leopard in South Africa in August…
Travis Leger, Alligator Snapping Turtle Trafficking, Texas 2017
In a shocking case of wildlife trafficking, Travis Leger of Sulphur, Louisiana, and his half-brother Jason Leckelt of Wilburton, Oklahoma, were sentenced to prison for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act by illegally trafficking alligator snapping turtles. Travis Leger, 21 months, and Jason Leckelt, 16 months, were sentenced in federal court in Beaumont, Texas, on…
Michael Hegarty, Smuggling Rhinoceros Horn, Florida 2012
MIAMI, FL – In a shocking case of wildlife trafficking, 40-year-old Michael Hegarty, an Irish national, has pleaded guilty to smuggling a Libation Cup carved from an endangered Rhinoceros horn from the United States to Great Britain. According to court records, Hegarty and his co-conspirator Richard Sheridan travelled to Miami, Florida from London, England in…
Travis Joseph Leger, Rickey Paul Simon, Jason Gene Leckelt, Wildlife Trafficking, Texas 2017
Three Men Plead Guilty to Trafficking Alligator Snapping Turtles in Texas BEAUMONT, Texas – In a shocking turn of events, three men have pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking alligator snapping turtles in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today. Travis Joseph Leger,…
Travis Leger, Jason Leckelt, Rickey Simon, Lacey Act Violation, Texas 2017
Three men have pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act by illegally trafficking alligator snapping turtles in Texas. Travis Leger, Jason Leckelt, and Rickey Simon, all of Sulphur, Louisiana, and Wilburton, Oklahoma, respectively, admitted to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act by illegally taking more than 60 large alligator snapping turtles during their multiple fishing…
Rodrigo Franco, Smuggling, California 2023
LOS ANGELES – A Monterey Park man was taken into custody late this morning on federal smuggling charges stemming from the seizure of a package that contained three king cobras hidden in potato chip canisters. Rodrigo Franco, 34, was arrested this morning by special agents with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Office…
Ferdinand E. Krizan, Elephant Tusk Trafficking, New York 2014
Ferdinand E. Krizan, a 78-year-old man from Franklinville, NY, has been fined $30,000 for illegally buying and selling elephant tusks. The sentencing is a culmination of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Krizan, the owner of Fred’s Antiques in Franklinville, purchased two elephant…
Petr Babenko, Paddlefish Trafficking, New Jersey 2015
A New Jersey man has been convicted of illegally trafficking in paddlefish caviar in a case that highlights the ongoing threat to Missouri’s paddlefish conservation efforts. Petr Babenko, 45, of Vineland, New Jersey, was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to illegally buy and sell paddlefish and one count of illegally trafficking in paddlefish…
Michael Polenske, Wildlife Trafficking, California 2015
Wildlife Trafficking Scandal Rocks Napa Valley: Michael Polenske Pleads Guilty San Francisco, CA – In a shocking turn of events, Michael Polenske, the 53-year-old owner of Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, a fine art and antique gallery as well as a wine tasting collective in Yountville, California, pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking and conspiracy in federal court…
Curtis W. Waters, Marine Life Trafficking, Florida 2023
In a shocking case of wildlife trafficking, Curtis W. Waters, 58, of Weeki Wachee, Florida, was sentenced to three months of home confinement and a three-year period of probation for his role in the illegal trade of marine life. According to the allegations, Waters, a resident of Hernando County, Florida, and holder of a Saltwater…
