Turtle Trafficker Sentenced In Hudson County

A federal judge sentenced a Jersey City man to five years of probation on Tuesday for conspiring to traffic threatened turtle species, authorities announced.

Patrick Elfers, 48, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits the interstate sale of wildlife that has been taken or possessed in violation of any state law or regulation.

• See related article: Man Admits To Turtle Trafficking In Hudson County

According to court documents and statements, Elfers admitted that, from December 2011 through March 2014, he possessed various turtle species, including spotted turtles, North American wood turtles and Eastern box turtles, at his home in Jersey City without the required permits under New Jersey State law.

Elfers then advertised the turtles on wildlife trade websites to prospective purchasers in New Jersey and elsewhere, shipping turtles to purchasers in New York State by tying them in tube socks to restrict their movement and packing them in boxes that were neither designed nor appropriate for the shipment of live animals, authorities stated.

As part of his probationary term, Elfers is prohibited from residing with wildlife of any kind and his computer will be monitored for any online wildlife trade activity. A federal judge also fined Elfers $30,450 for the care and housing of the 40 turtles that he forfeited as part of his plea agreement.

The mandatory forfeiture included 27 Eastern box turtles, one Florida box turtle, three three-toed box turtles, five Gulf Coast box turtles and four North American wood turtles, authorities stated.

File photo via Wikimedia