Lacey Act Violation Results To A Houston Woman Facing 15 Months In Prison After Selling Wildlife In Craigslist

A Lacey Act violator is under fire for selling wildlife on Craigslist.

The Lacey Act violator was reportedly named Savannah Nicole Valdez. (Photo: Hindustan Times)

Lacey Act Violation

A 21-year-old woman was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for selling wildlife on Craigslist in violation of the Lacey Act.

Savannah Nicole Valdez pleaded guilty to the charge of violation of the Lacey Act.

The Lacey Act violator had her supervised release revoked for a previous offense involving smuggling a monkey into the United States.

The woman who violated the Lacey Act and her actions contributed to endangered species.

The Lacey Act violator sold a Mexican spider monkey, and authorities discovered she was also offering protected birds for sale on Craigslist.

According to a published article by Fox 26 Houston, the animals that were sold by the Lacey Act violator have been transferred to zoos within Texas.

History Of The Lacey Act

In a published article by Thomson Reuters, the Lacey Act was first passed in 1900 to address bird poaching but was expanded in 2008 to protect plants and plant products.

The Act now requires a Lacey Act Import Declaration for certain imported products to prevent illegal logging and harvesting.

Phase VII of the Act will require declarations for all plant product HTS codes that are not composite materials.

Importers in the United States must submit declarations to U.S. Customs & Border Protection, with the list of affected products being made official in the Federal Register by 2023.

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