Lizards Seized at LAX (Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) |
LOS ANGELES -- A man who is accused of trying to smuggle 15 live lizards into the United States through LAX by strapping them to his chest entered a not guilty plea Monday to federal charges.
Special agents with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife arrested Michael Plank, 40, of Lomita, as he tried to clear U.S. customs at the airport on a flight from Australia on Nov. 17.
Agents say the lizards were concealed in a money belt that was strapped to Plank's torso. Inspectors seized two geckos, eleven skinks, and two monitor lizards. Monitor lizards are a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The lizards are valued at $8,500 according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Mona Ianelli.
Plank was released on $10,000 bond.
He faces a felony charge of smuggling wildlife into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of up to twenty years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Federal law requires that travelers declare items brought to the United States from abroad, including wildlife.
All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated and Plank did not have a permit for them, Ianelli said.
The case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California in Los Angeles.
Special agents with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife arrested Michael Plank, 40, of Lomita, as he tried to clear U.S. customs at the airport on a flight from Australia on Nov. 17.
Agents say the lizards were concealed in a money belt that was strapped to Plank's torso. Inspectors seized two geckos, eleven skinks, and two monitor lizards. Monitor lizards are a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The lizards are valued at $8,500 according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Mona Ianelli.
Plank was released on $10,000 bond.
He faces a felony charge of smuggling wildlife into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of up to twenty years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Federal law requires that travelers declare items brought to the United States from abroad, including wildlife.
All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated and Plank did not have a permit for them, Ianelli said.
The case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California in Los Angeles.
