U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that HON KIT LAU, age 34, from Hong Kong, and LAWRENCE TREIGLE, age 44, from Covington, Louisiana, were charged today in a one-count superseding bill of information with conspiring to smuggle a threatened species of turtles out of the United States and in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to the superseding bill of information, LAU and TREIGLE were part of a group of individuals involved in capturing North American Wood turtles from the wild in Pennsylvania, shipping the turtles by mail though the United States, and then illegally exporting the turtles to Hong Kong.
If convicted, LAU and TREIGLE, face a maximum term of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Polite reiterated that the superseding bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller is in charge of the prosecution.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
