A Faulkner County man who pleaded guilty in December to a federal charge of importing and possessing illegally-taken wildlife was sentenced this week to three years probation and 150 hours of community service.
Jackson Roe, 27, of Conway, appeared in court Monday before Chief U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr.for his sentencing hearing.
According to court documents, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began an investigation in 2015 after receiving detailed information from a reptile enthusiast who reported being approached on Facebook by someone wanting to sell and transport various reptiles into and out of the country in violation of U.S. and foreign laws.
The enthusiast provided wildlife officials with information from the Facebook account of a man who lived in Shanghai who had offered to sell various species of snakes, according to a criminal complaint, which detailed how agents monitored the Shanghai man's Facebook activity for several months. During that time agents observed photos posted by the man of different species of amphibians and reptiles that appeared to be in captivity
Agents learned through a search warrant on the Shanghai man's Facebook account that he was shipping rare and endangered animals to various buyers, including Roe. Wildlife inspectors intercepted a package addressed to Roe that contained two live Chinese giant salamanders in plastic jars, with wet moss, no holes in the containers for air and no documentation.
In August 2017, federal fish and wildlife agents executed a search warrant at the Conway home of Roe's parents where they seized two live turtles, one frozen turtle and shipping materials.
Roe admitted to investigators that he had illegally purchased several live amphibians from a Chinese dealer he met on Facebook, telling investigators he paid $450 for each salamander; that he knew they were a protected species, and that he knew they were expected to become extinct in the next ten years.
In total, Roe received seven packages shipped from Hong Kong, which included six Chinese giant salamanders, a Vietnamese leaf turtle, an Indian roofed turtle, and a Chinese big-headed turtle. Roe also informed agents that he owned a Nile crocodile, a Morelet's crocodile, and an American alligator, all of which were seized later that day by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
In addition to the sentence of probation and community service, Roe was ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment.