Texas man pleads guilty to ‘importing protected Australian reptiles’

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas man pleaded guilty on Thursday after he was accused of “importing protected Australian reptiles” to the U.S., according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The official charge the man pleaded guilty for is a “criminal information charging violation of the Endangered Species Act,” according to the DOJ.

“He faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $50,000,” the DOJ said in the release.

That man was identified as Don Church, according to the DOJ. Church imported a total of 165 the reptiles for a “fake zoo,” which he called “the Austin Reptile Center” and said was “legitimate,” the release said.

Church imported reptiles, which the DOJ said included “three Rusty Monitor (Varanus Semiremex) lizards,” the release said.

“[Church] submitted documents to Australian authorities containing misrepresentations about the facility, including photographs of reptile exhibits, employee names and positions, floor plans, location and financial information,” the DOJ said in the release.

Church then submitted that documentation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and then imported the reptiles on behalf of the alleged reptile center, according to the DOJ.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Special (CITES) is an agency that help “protect species against over-exploitation,” the release said.

“The United States implements CITES through the Endangered Species Act, and the USFWS enforces it,” according to the DOJ.

The case remained under investigation by the USFWS.

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