Fairport Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Lacey Act
A 50-year-old reptile enthusiast from Fairport, New York, has pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act after being accused of illegally collecting and trading snakes.
Michael Collalto, a self-proclaimed reptile collector, maintained a collection of snakes in his residence and would often trade, barter, buy, or sell them to augment his collection.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig R. Gestring and Tiffany H. Lee, Collalto was found guilty of four specific incidents involving the illegal collection and trade of snakes.
Between April 30, 2011, and June 15, 2011, Collalto traveled to a reptile show in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, where he received a Northern pine snake, a threatened species under New Jersey law.
He also drove to southern New Jersey and collected a gravid corn snake, an endangered species under New Jersey law, and received three California mountain kingsnakes that were collected illegally in Oregon.
Collalto was sentenced to four years probation, 300 hours of community service, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under the direction of Honora Gordon, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region.
The case highlights the importance of enforcing wildlife trafficking laws and protecting endangered species.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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