Man Sentenced For Having, Selling Illegal Sharks

LAGRANGEVILLE, NY — A Dutchess County man was sentenced for illegally having and selling wildlife that is protected under state law.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday the conviction and sentencing of Joshua Seguine, 40, of Lagrangeville.

He pleaded guilty in the Town of LaGrange Justice Court to illegal commercialization of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and wildlife for the illegal possession with intent to sell seven sandbar sharks, a protected species under New York law.

Seguine was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and sentenced to a conditional discharge, James's office said.

"The tide has turned for Joshua Seguine," James said in a prepared statement.

"Let this serve as a loud and clear message: We will not tolerate anyone who preys on protected species to line their pockets," she said, adding that her office will continue to enforce laws that safeguard wildlife.

In July 2017, Seguine was arrested in Georgia for driving without a license and for having five undersized sharks in a large circular tank in the back of his truck.

He admitted to authorities that he was taking the sharks to his house in Dutchess County, where he intended to sell them. He also said he had other live sharks there.

An investigation found Seguine, who was conducting business under the name Aquatic Apex Life LLC — had offered sharks for sale as recently as June 29, 2017, on the website MonsterFishKeepers.com.

A search warrant executed at Seguine's Lagrangeville home by Department of Environmental Conservation police — accompanied by biologists from the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead and the Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium at Coney Island — found an above-ground pool in the home containing seven live sandbar sharks, the possession of which is prohibited in New York without a special license.

There were also two dead leopard sharks, a dead hammerhead shark and the snout of a smalltooth sawfish, which is an endangered species, authorities said.

The sharks were assessed by biologists and transferred to the Riverhead facility. They were subsequently moved to the New York Aquarium at Coney Island.