Conspiracy and Lacey Act charges were filed against Todd and Vicki Lantz, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Freddy Wilmoth of Gentry, Arkansas, Stoney Elam of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma and Tim Rivers of Citra, Florida. The five are alleged to have illegally purchased, transported and sold federally-endangered tigers and leopards between January and August 1998.
The indictments allege that in February 1998, Todd Lantz, owner of Lazy L Exotics, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri purchased four tigers from Freddy Wilmoth in Gentry, Arkansas and transported them to the 5H Ranch in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, with the knowledge the tigers were to be killed. After the tigers were killed and sold, Vicky Lantz prepared federal forms (USDA Form 720) falsely stating the transaction was a donation.
Indictments also allege that in June 1998, Stoney Elam sold two tigers and three leopards in violation of federal wildlife laws. Similarly, Timothy Rivers, owner of Animals in Motion in Citra, Florida, is alleged to have illegally sold two leopards in August 1998.
If convicted each defendant face maximum penalties of five years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000.
The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The five charged in Missouri are the second phase of indictments to be brought in the ongoing investigation. In January 2001, Woody Thompson Jr. of Three Rivers Michigan pled guilty in federal court in the Eastern District Missouri to brokering the interstate sale of three tiger skins. Thompson, owner of the Willow Lake Sportsmens Club in Three Rivers, was sentenced to serve six months home detention and two years probation; fined $2,000 and ordered to pay $28,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundations "Save the Tigers Fund."
Service investigators, working closely with U.S. Attorneys Offices in Missouri, Illinois and Michigan, uncovered a group of residents and small business owners in the Midwest that allegedly bought and killed exotic tigers, leopards, snow leopards, lions, mountain lions, cougars, mixed breed cats and black bears with the intention of introducing meat and skins into the lucrative animal parts trade. Tigers and snow leopards are listed as "Endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act. The law also protects leopards, which are classified as either "endangered" or "threatened" depending on the location of the wild population. Although federal regulations allow possession of captive-bred tigers, the regulations stipulate activities involving their use must be to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. It is unlawful to kill the animals for profit, or to sell their hides, parts or meats into interstate commerce.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents were assisted in the Missouri investigation by law enforcement officers from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | | | | | | |
