Wildlife conservation is undoubtedly one of the pressing demands which modern people must address. He has taken various reformatory measures to protect the interests of wild animals. Bhagavan Antle is a big name in animal conservation. For this reason, the regulatory bodies of various countries have made stringent laws for the protection of wildlife. Rampant cutting of trees in the excuse of infrastructure development, hunting wild animals for pleasure or any other needs, and misuse of water is taking a toll on the environment. Duggan of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Crimes Section.Īn indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.In this age of rapid technological development, we are losing the basic sources of nature. Shoemake and Amy Bower for the District of South Carolina and Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. The prosecutors on the case are Assistant U.S. The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Antle and Sawyer were previously granted a bond by a federal magistrate judge as a result of the charges in the federal complaint, and Bybee, Sammut and Clay are pending arraignment. Bybee, Sammut and Clay each face up to five years in federal prison for the charges related to the wildlife trafficking. The filings allege that Antle had used bulk cash receipts to purchase animals for which he could not use checks, and that Antle planned to conceal the cash he received by inflating tourist numbers at the Myrtle Beach Safari.Īntle and Sawyer each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the charges related to money laundering, and up to five years in federal prison for the charges related to wildlife trafficking. The indictment and a previously-filed federal complaint in the case also allege that over the last several months, Antle and Sawyer laundered more than $500,000 in cash they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States. The animals involved included lemurs, cheetahs and a chimpanzee. The indictment alleges that Antle, at various times along with Bybee, Sammut and Clay, illegally trafficked wildlife in violation of federal law, including the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, and made false records regarding that wildlife. Clay is the owner and operator of the Franklin Drive Thru Safari, a for-profit corporation that housed captive exotic species and sold tours and safari experiences to guests. Sammut is the owner and operator of Vision Quest Ranch, a for-profit corporation that housed captive exotic species and sold tours and safari experiences to guests. Sawyer and Bybee are Antle’s employees and business associates. The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve in Myrtle Beach.
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