Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Illicitly Importing Protected Reptiles
Don Church of Texas pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to illegally importing protected Australian reptiles into the U.S. on behalf of a "fake zoo which he represented as legitimate," DOJ announced. Church entered 165 Australian reptiles, all covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, by giving U.S. and Australian authorities false information.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
The man pleaded guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act, facing a maximum of one year in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Church imported the reptiles on behalf of the fake "Austin Reptile Center," submitting "misrepresentations about the facility" to authorities, including "photographs of reptile exhibits, employee names and positions, floor plans, location and financial information," DOJ said.