A New Yorker was caught red-handed while trying to sell a cougar head to an undercover agent and was fined nearly $6,900 for having several other animal parts in his possession. exotic.
Usher Weiss, 26, pleaded guilty to violating environmental conservation laws Thursday before a Brooklyn Criminal Court judge.
He was therefore fined $6,900 in addition to handing over the additional contraband products he had at home.
The accused had a meeting with an undercover agent on November 2, where he gave him a cougar head mount in exchange for a little more than $1,230. He then offered the agent a complete cheetah mount for nearly $13,700.
This wasn’t the only time the two met. A little later, on December 5, 2023, the 26-year-old man gave him a cheetah head mount, the skull of a big cat, the skin of a baby pinniped and a bird mount.
After the investigation, authorities realized that these were not the only animal parts in his possession. They also found a complete alligator taxidermy, a tiger skin, a cheetah skin and an elephant foot that he had purchased from Craigslist and OfferUp.
“We are committed to stopping illegal wildlife trade in our communities, and by pursuing cases like this, we are not just enforcing the law, we are sending a strong message that protecting species threatened is a priority,” reacted prosecutor Eric Gonzalez.
