North Carolina Turtle Supplier Sentenced to Prison

A federal judge in Wilmington, North Carolina, sentenced Jesse James Freeman, 48, of Franklinville, North Carolina, to 18 months in prison and three years of post-release supervision. Freeman will also have to pay a $25,000 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Fund. The judge prohibited Freeman from owning wild-caught wildlife and any wildlife without documentation of origin during the supervisory period. Freeman pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2020, to trafficking turtles in violation of the Lacey Act.