Reid E. Turowski, 28, owner of Captive Bred Specialties, a reptile business in Waukesha, Wis., and Leong Tian Kum, 34, a resident of Bangkok, Thailand, have been indicted on charges related to the smuggling of live, protected and endangered wildlife into the United States from Thailand.
The indictments were announced July 22 by United States Attorney Steven M. Biskupic of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. The case was investigated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Ed Spoon and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Among the charges against the two men are money laundering, making false statements to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents, and falsely labeling wildlife, a violation of the federal Lacey Act. The two men are also charged with conspiring to smuggle and falsely label wildlife, trade in endangered species, and launder money.
According to the indictment, Turowski and Kum shipped protected wildlife from Thailand to the United States in Federal Express packages that had been labeled as containing only wooden arts or crafts. The two also did not obtain permits required under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Wildlife in the shipments included 6 radiated tortoises, 22 Indian star tortoises, 2 emerald tree monitors, 7 Burmese star tortoises, 4 pancake tortoises, 8 Hermann’s tortoises, a Borneoblack leaf turtle,an elongated tortoise, 67 snake-necked turtles, a green tree python, 48 Chinese water dragon sand 8 Fly River turtles.
Falsely labeling shipments of wildlife is a violation of the Lacey Act, a federal law which also makes it unlawful to sell, receive, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce, any wildlife taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign wildlife laws.
Charges against Turowski and Kum, and the maximum penalties for those charges, are as follows:
Count | Defendant | Charge | Max. penalty |
Kum Turowski | Conspiracy to smuggle and falsely label wildlife, trade in endangered species, and launder money | 5 years /$250,000 fine | |
2 | Kum | Money laundering | 20 years /$500,000 |
-5 | Kum | Smuggling wildlife (3 counts) | 5 years /$250,000 |
6-8 | Kum Turowski | Smuggling wildlife (3 counts) | 5 years /$250,000 |
9-11 | Kum Turowski | Falsely labeling wildlife shipments (3 counts) | 5 years /$250,000 |
| 2 | Kum Turowski | Money laundering | 20 years /$500,000 |
| 3 | Turowski | False statement to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 5 years /$250,000 |
U.S. Attorney Biskupic cautioned that an indictment is merely a formal method of returning charges and does not constitute an inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until such time, if ever, that the government establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Frohling for prosecution.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 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.
