TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man known as “The Monkey Whisperer” has been indicted for trafficking in protected primates, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida.
Jimmy Wayne Hammonds, 57, of Parrish has been charged with conspiracy, trafficking and submitting a false record in violation of the Lacey Act, a federal law involving the illegal trade in wildlife.
Hammonds was also charged with violations of the Endangered Species Act and witness-tampering.
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Hammonds owned and operated The Monkey Whisperer, LLC, a business involving the breeding and selling of wildlife, according to the indictment.
From September 2017 until February 2018, Hammonds allegedly conspired to sell a capuchin monkey to a buyer in California, even though the buyer could not lawfully own one in the state, according to a news release.
Hammonds allegedly facilitated transporting the monkey from Florida to California through individuals who were not permitted to possess that species of monkey.
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The monkey was later seized by law enforcement from the buyer’s home in California.
Hammonds also illegally sold cotton-top tamarins, which are listed as endangered species, to buyers in Alabama, South Carolina and Wisconsin, according to the indictment.
He also allegedly concealed his unlawful wildlife trafficking by submitting false records to a law enforcement officer and attempted to persuade a witness to lie to a law enforcement officer, according to the news release.
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If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the witness-tampering count, up to five years in federal prison on each of the conspiracy and Lacey Act counts and up to a year on each endangered species count.
Cox Media Group
