Stanlee Fazi, a 41-year-old man from Louisa, Virginia, has pleaded guilty to trafficking turtles in violation of the Lacey Act. Fazi was sentenced to face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for July 26.
Fazi admitted to collecting eastern box turtles from the wild and selling them on at least 27 occasions to buyers in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin. He received approximately $12,700 using Facebook Marketplace for these sales. Many of Fazi’s purchasers smuggled the turtles from the United States to Hong Kong and China for the illegal pet trade.
Fazi acknowledged binding the turtles in socks and shipping them by FedEx from Fredericksburg. The eastern box turtle is a subspecies of the common box turtle and is native to forested regions of the eastern United States, including Virginia. The turtles typically reach a length of up to six inches and can live more than 100 years.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Offices of Law Enforcement in Baltimore and Vero Beach, Florida, conducted the investigation as part of Operation Middleman. The operation focused on the trafficking of reptiles from the United States to China.
The government is represented by Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of the Environment and Natural Resource Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Fazi’s actions have sparked concern about the impact of turtle trafficking on the species. The eastern box turtle is highly prized in the domestic and foreign pet trade market, and the demand for these turtles has led to overcollection and habitat destruction.
Fazi’s sentencing is a significant step in combating wildlife trafficking. The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute, and it prohibits the transportation or sale of wildlife in interstate commerce if the wildlife were illegally taken or possessed under state laws.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Wildlife Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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