Poaching Charges Filed after 18-Month Undercover Investigation

​HARRISBURG, Pa. (March 21) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has announced that an 18-month undercover investigation into the illegal purchase of reptiles and wildlife has resulted in multiple charges being filed against two Pennsylvania residents and one New York man, including a felony charge against the N.Y. individual.

The Pennsylvania men are from Luzerne and Wyoming counties and the N.Y. resident from Brooklyn, N.Y. Charges were filed in Luzerne, Monroe and Wyoming county courts on February 29 and include 15 summary offenses, 12 misdemeanors and 1 felony.

“The individuals face fines between $300 and over $10,000 as well as possible jail time if convicted,” said Col. Corey Britcher, Director of the PFBC Bureau of Law Enforcement. “Convictions would also result in the individuals losing their hunting and fishing privileges in not only Pennsylvania but also each state which participates in the Interstate Wildlife Compact, a cooperative agreement designed to prevent poachers from moving from state to state without fear of prosecution.”

The case started in July 2014 when a Pennsylvania State Trooper made a routine traffic stop on I-80 in Monroe County and observed 30 live snapping turtles in the vehicle. PFBC Waterways Conservation Officers (WCOs) subsequently interviewed the suspects and determined that the turtles had been sold without the required permit. Further interviews with the seller led the WCOs to believe the original suspects were interested in purchasing additional illegal wildlife. With the cooperation of the seller, PFBC undercover officers were introduced to the New York defendant.

Over the next 18 months, PFBC undercover officers made numerous illegal sales of reptiles and wildlife, including timber rattlesnakes, bears, beavers and bear gallbladders, to the N.Y. suspect. Officers were assisted by law enforcement personnel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Pennsylvania law requires individuals to obtain an annual PFBC permit to trap and sell, or trade, snapping turtles. The permits are $50 for residents and $100 for non-residents. The daily limit for harvesting snapping turtles is 15 and individuals may not have more than 30 turtles in their possession at any one time.

Individuals are allowed to hunt and keep one Timber rattlesnake per calendar year, provided they have a $25 state resident or $50 nonresident permit. The snake must be at least 42 inches long.

But state law strictly prohibits individuals from selling and purchasing most native reptiles and amphibians, in whole or in parts, including the Timber rattlesnake and game species like bear and beavers.

“Seasons, sizes and creel limits are specifically designed to protect species from being over-harvested and potentially added to the threatened and endangered species lists,” added Britcher.