Virginia Man Pleads Guilty To Illegally Trafficking Turtles

WASHINGTON, DC — A Virginia man pleaded guilty in federal court this week to illegally collecting wild turtles and selling them to buyers in multiple states, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Authorities said Stanlee Fazi, 41, of Louisa, pleaded guilty Monday to trafficking turtles in violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits transporting or selling wildlife if the wildlife were illegally taken or possessed in violation of state law.

According to court documents, Fazi illegally collected eastern box turtles from the wild and sold them to buyers in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin on at least 27 occasions.

Authorities said Fazi used Facebook Marketplace for the sales and received approximately $12,700 in profit. Following the sale, authorities said many of Fazi's purchasers smuggled the turtles from the United States to Hong Kong and China for the illegal pet trade.

According to authorities, Fazi admitted to binding the turtles in socks and shipping them by FedEx from Fredericksburg.

Fazi's sentencing is scheduled for July 26. The maximum sentence for violating the Lacey Act is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.