New York Man Charged With Illegally Exporting Turtles to China

New York man Russell Milis was charged last week for illegally exporting eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles from the U.S. to China in violation of the Lacey Act, DOJ announced. He faces two counts of smuggling goods, each of which carry a 10-year maximum prison sentence, and one count of violating the Lacey Act, which comes with a maximum of vie years in prison.

From November 2019 to November 2020, Milis allegedly exported the two turtle species, both of which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, without obtaining the required license or "declaring the wildlife to customs officials as required by the Endangered Species Act," DOJ said.

In violation of the Lacey Act, Milis also allegedly shipped the turtles in packages "that were falsely labeled as to their contents." The turtles are valuable in the global pet trade black market," DOJ said.