Jason Ksepka, a 44-year-old man from Monmouth County, New Jersey, was sentenced to six months of home confinement for falsely labeling an international shipment of wildlife as ‘Toys’, according to a recent court hearing.
Ksepka, of Farmingdale, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that regulates the trade of wildlife, by falsely labeling a package containing 10 live rhinoceros iguanas as ‘Toys’ and shipping it to Hong Kong.
The incident occurred on November 7, 2017, when Ksepka shipped the package via U.S. Priority Mail Express from the U.S. Post Office in Lambertville, New Jersey. The package was intercepted at the mail facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport and the rhinoceros iguanas were recovered.
Ksepka was paid $500 by an individual to falsely label the package and ship it to Hong Kong. He had previously been paid $500 to ship 10 additional rhinoceros iguanas to Hong Kong just a year prior to the incident.
Ksepka was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi to three years of probation, with six months of home confinement. He was also ordered to refrain from engaging in the ‘take’ of wildlife and from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, purchasing, or bartering any wildlife.
Ksepka agreed to pay a fine of $1,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lacey Act Reward Fund as part of his plea agreement. The investigation was led by special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Sean Mann.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen P. O’Leary represented the government in the case. The incident highlights the importance of stricter regulations on the trade of wildlife and the need for law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant in preventing such crimes.
Related Federal Cases
- Anthony Warner, Currency Smuggling, New Jersey 2016 · New York
- Jason Boyd, Cocaine Base Conspiracy, New Jersey 2024 · New Jersey
- Elmostafa Charif, Designer Drug Trafficking, New Jersey 2024 · Massachusetts
- Ricardo Reid, Mail and Wire Fraud Conspiracy, New Jersey 2024 · Virginia
- Javan Smith, Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property, New Jersey · Connecticut
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News