Related Federal Cases
- Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, Federal Drug Trafficking, Utah 2024 · Washington
- Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, Federal Drug Trafficking, Utah 2024 · Washington
- Oluwole Adegboruwa, Oxycodone Trafficking, Utah 2019 · Washington
- Armida Viridiana Cayetano-Ruiz, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Utah 2024 · Illinois
- Victor Manuel Sanchez-Chacon, Child Sex Trafficking, Utah 2024 · New Mexico
Wildlife Trafficking Ring Busted in Utah
A Utah man and his company have been charged in an indictment with violating the Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act for their role in illegal wildlife trafficking.
According to court documents, Jean-Michel Arrigona, 58, and his company Natur, Inc. in Midvale, Utah, sold wildlife in the forms of art, taxidermy mounts, bones, and skeletons. The indictment alleges that Arrigona imported wildlife into the United States without declaring it to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or customs authorities. He later resold the wildlife from the Natur store and its website.
The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute and prohibits, among other things, selling wildlife that had been illegally brought into the country. The Endangered Species Act and federal regulations require importers to declare wildlife when it enters the country.
Between December 2015 and September 2020, Arrigona imported approximately 460 wildlife items without declaring them. The wildlife, primarily from Indonesia, included bats, lizards, turtles, insects, starfish, and mollusks. Arrigona did not import any live animals. Some of the wildlife, such as the flying fox (Pteropus sp.) and monitor lizard (Varanus sp.) are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates trade in endangered or threatened species through permit requirements.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement in Redmond, Washington, conducted the investigation as part of Operation Global Reach. The operation focused on the trafficking of wildlife from Indonesia to the United States. Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melina Shiraldi for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
Arrigona’s actions are a stark reminder of the ongoing threat of wildlife trafficking. The trade in endangered species is a lucrative business, with those involved often using deceit and subterfuge to avoid detection.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking
- 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