California man charged with smuggling 1,700 reptiles into US

A California man was indicted Thursday on federal expenses linked to illegally bringing in additional than 1,700 reptiles to the U.S. over a interval of a minimum of six years.

Jose Manuel Perez, 30, often known as “Julio Rodriguez,” has been charged with one rely of conspiracy, 9 counts of smuggling items into the nation, and two counts of wildlife trafficking. 

When he was caught in February on the San Ysidro Port of Entry on the U.S.-Mexico border, the person was carrying 60 reptiles – dozens of lizards and 4 snakes – hidden in his garments.

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The Oxnard man is predicted to be arraigned on March 28 within the U.S. District Courtroom in Los Angeles.

In a press release, the U.S. lawyer’s workplace for the Central District of California stated the superseding indictment provides allegations to an indictment initially filed on Feb. 24. 

The brand new allegations embrace 14 overt acts within the conspiracy cost, and the indictment alleges that Perez ultimately informed customs officers that the animals had been his “pets.”

Perez’s sister, 25-year-old Stephany Perez, can be charged within the indictment with conspiracy and will likely be directed to seem for an arraignment within the coming weeks.

From January 2016 to February 2022, the siblings and their co-conspirators used social media to purchase and negotiate the phrases of the sale and supply of wildlife within the U.S.

They allegedly marketed on the market on social media the animals smuggled from Mexico, together with images and video that depicted the animals being collected from the wild. 

The co-conspirators would decide the wildlife up from Ciudad Juarez Worldwide Airport in Mexico and ship the animals by automotive to El Paso, Texas. 

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Jose Perez paid the co-conspirators a “crossing charge” for every border crossing, with the quantity relying on the variety of animals transported, the dimensions of the bundle and the chance of being detected by the authorities.

Typically, Jose Perez and a co-conspirator traveled to Mexico to buy extra dwell animals that had been taken from the wild. 

As soon as the animals had been shipped into the U.S., they allegedly had been transported to Perez’s then-residence in Missouri.

After he moved to California, the wildlife was shipped to his residence in Ventura County.

Stephany Perez, additionally of Oxnard, allegedly assisted within the unlawful enterprise, significantly throughout two prolonged durations when her brother was incarcerated within the U.S.

The animals, together with Yucatan field turtles, Mexican field turtles, child crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards, had been allegedly imported into the U.S. from Mexico and Hong Kong with out acquiring permits required by a world treaty generally known as the Conference on the Worldwide Commerce of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

If convicted of all expenses, the defendants would face a statutory most sentence of 5 years in federal jail for the conspiracy cost. 

Jose Perez – who has been in federal custody since his arrest on Feb. 25 – would face a statutory most sentence of 20 years in jail for every smuggling rely and 5 years in jail for every wildlife trafficking rely.