Primate Trafficker Sentenced

Jimmy Wayne Hammonds was sentenced to five years of probation, to include eight months home confinement, for one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and three counts of violating the Endangered Species Act. He was also ordered to pay a $90,000 fine to the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service Lacey Act Reward Fund. In an attempt to evade law enforcement, Hammonds knowingly falsified records and requested a witness to lie to a law enforcement officer about their illegal buying and selling of a capuchin monkey and cotton-top tamarins. The sentencing is a result of an investigation the Service worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

DOJ Press Release: Florida Man Known As “The Monkey Whisperer” Sentenced For Trafficking Protected Primates