Virginia Man Admits to Trafficking Turtles on Facebook

A man in Virginia, Stanlee Fazi, has pleaded guilty to trafficking turtles from July 2017 to June 2020, making thousands of dollars by selling them to buyers in the US and Asia, where the illegal pet turtle trade is booming. Fazi shipped the turtles via FedEx from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and made about $12,700 in the scheme. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Eastern box turtles, slow, sturdy creatures native to the eastern United States, are especially in demand in Asia, where many species of turtles are endangered.