Crime journalist’s gritty portrayal of Kenneth C. Coleman’s guilty plea in the Juno Beach sea turtle egg poaching case.
United States Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer and Supervisory Law Enforcement Officer William H. Calvert announced that 52-year-old Kenneth Cornelius Coleman, from Riviera Beach, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge William Zloch for unlawfully transporting endangered sea turtle eggs in violation of the Lacey Act.
The Loggerhead Marine Life Center surveyors stumbled upon disturbed nests on Jul 3, 2013, revealing a trail of six eggs and probing marks. Juno Beach Police recovered a stick used to probe and three canvas bags containing 213 eggs. DNA evidence linked Coleman to the crime scene.
Expert analysis confirmed that one nest was a Green Sea Turtle (endangered) and three were Loggerhead Sea Turtles (threatened). The total of 219 eggs were buried in hopes they would hatch. Another four nests were found disturbed, with 97 eggs recovered nearby. Coleman was detained after claiming ignorance of the turtle eggs.
The estimated value of the eggs, based on black market research, ranges from $948 to $1,580. Coleman has a previous conviction for transporting endangered sea turtle eggs in 2010, resulting in a 30-month prison sentence.
U.S. Attorney Ferrer praised the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Juno Beach Police Department, and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s efforts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Jorgensen is prosecuting this case.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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