Former Riviera Beach resident James Odell McGriff has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for his role in the illegal transport of endangered sea turtles. The 56-year-old was caught on August 15, 2014, digging into two turtle nests and removing 299 eggs from a protected species.
Of those eggs, twelve were kept as evidence while the remaining 287 were returned to their nests in hopes they could still hatch. The eggs’ intended sale price was $20.00 per dozen, with an estimated black market value of between $3.00 and $5.00 per egg.
McGriff’s sentence also includes three years of supervised release, during which he is prohibited from traveling east of the Intercoastal Waterway. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Jorgensen prosecuted the case, which received commendation from U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer for the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A press release detailing the case can be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls, with related court documents and information available on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida’s website at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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