(WJW) — A Texas man pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally importing internationally protected reptiles from Australia to the United States.
Don Church pleaded guilty to charges for violating the Endangered Species Act. He faces up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a $50,000 fine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Court records state Church imported 165 Australia-native reptiles, including three rusty monitor lizards, which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
He provided paperwork to Australian authorities on behalf of the “Austin Reptile Center,” which included details like reptile exhibit photos, floor plans, employee names and financial information, court documents state.
However, according to the Department of Justice, that reptile center doesn’t exist.
“To gain purported legal authority to import the reptiles, Church submitted documentation containing misleading and erroneous information about the fictitious Austin Reptile Center to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),” the Department of Justice said in a news release. “He then imported the reptiles on behalf of the Austin Reptile Center, knowing that import was unlawful.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service handled the investigation.