Middletown Man Guilty Of Trafficking Protected Turtles

MIDDLETOWN, PA — A man from Middletown pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to illegally trafficking protected turtles.

David Sommers pleaded in U.S. District Court to one felony count of violating the Lacey Act — the nation's oldest wildlife trafficking law which prohibits falsely labeling packages containing wildlife, fish or plants.

Sommers, 63, was indicted in July on charges that he smuggled a package containing diamondback terrapins into Canada. He was accused of mislabeling the package, as well as illegally trafficking the turtles domestically.

As part of his guilty plea, Sommers agreed to forfeit nearly 3,500 diamondback terrapin hatchlings, federal prosecutors said.

According to his plea, the trafficked turtles were taken from their marsh habitat in New Jersey from Aug. 7, 2014 to Oct. 24, 2017. Sommers admitted to sending a package containing 11 terrapin hatchlings to Canada in 2014, mislabeling the package as a book to avoid detection by customs authorities.

Canadian wildlife authorities intercepted the package, prosecutors say.

Sommers now faces a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution to the state of New Jersey for the value of the turtles. His sentencing is scheduled for May 15.

Diamondback terrapins are a semi-aquatic species of turtle native to brackish waters in the eastern and southern United States. They are not found in the wild in Pennsylvania and have a dwindling habitat in New Jersey.

Authorities say the terrapins are prized in the reptile pet trade because of their unique, diamond-shaped shell markings. They are protected under New Jersey law and by international treaty.

Due to declining populations, diamondback terrapins were listed as a threatened species in 2013. New Jersey banned collecting, possession and transporting the in 2016.

Sommers has worked on Republican political campaigns in Bucks County and is a former news reporter, having worked at The Trentonian, the Bucks County Courier-Times and other outlets.

Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service