The owner of a Waukesha, Wis., pet store was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee to serve 10 months in prison and fined $500 for his role in the smuggling of 183 live reptiles into the United States, including 60 turtles protected by U.S. and international law. Reid E. Turowski, 29, owner and operator of Captive Bred Specialties in Waukesha, will also reimburse the government $2,223 for costs it incurred to care for live reptiles seized from him during the investigation.
As part of his plea agreement with the government, Turowski will serve two years probation upon release from prison during which he is prohibited from operating any business involving the importation, sale, or purchase of live exotic wildlife.
Turowski and co-conspirator Leong Tian Kum of Bangkok, Thailand, were indicted July 22, 2003, on 13 counts alleging conspiracy to smuggle, falsely label wildlife, trade in endangered species and money laundering. Kum pleaded guilty Nov. 26, 2003, to conspiracy and money laundering charges and was sentenced March 5 to serve 41 months in prison. Turowski pleaded guilty Dec. 23, 2003, to conspiracy to smuggle, falsely label wildlife and trade in endangered species.
Between September 2002 and June 23, 2003, Kum and his associates in Thailand and Singapore obtained protected species of reptiles and other wildlife and shipped them via Federal Express to Turowski and other customers in the United States in violation of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and U.S. wildlife importation law. Kum smuggled dozens of exotic reptiles to Turowski, falsely listing the contents as “wooden crafts” or other legal materials. Reptile species sent to Turowski included radiated tortoises, Indian star tortoises, Burmese star tortoises, snake neck turtles, Hermann’s tortoises, pancake tortoises, fly river turtles, Borneo black leaf turtles and Chinese water dragons. Turowski then sold them to reptile fanciers through his Waukesha store and over the Internet.
Turowski’s sentence is the result of a cooperative investigation by special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Department of Homeland Security) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling prosecuted the government’s case.
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 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
