FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1997 (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 TWO SENTENCED IN FLORIDA FOR THEIR ROLES IN INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE SMUGGLING CONSPIRACY Longest Jail Term Ever Imposed in Reptile Smuggling Case WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A federal judge in Orlando, Florida, today sentenced a German national to just under four years in jail -- the longest jail term imposed for reptile smuggling -- for conspiring to smuggle hundreds of rare and endangered snakes and tortoises into the United States and Canada, the United States announced. A second man was sentenced to three years probation for his role in the conspiracy. The smuggled wildlife had an estimated commercial value of more than $250,000. Judge Ann Conway sentenced Wolfgang Michael Kloe, 33, of Rauenberg, Germany, to 46 months in prison and a $10,000 fine for his role in a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle hundreds of snakes and tortoises from Madagascar into Canada and the United States for sale to wildlife dealers and collectors. Judge Conway also sentenced Simon David Harris, 25, of Blairgowrie, South Africa, to three years probation, which requires he spend one month in the community corrections facility in Maitland, for his role in smuggling 61 Madagascan Tree Boas and four Spider Tortoises into Orlando, Florida from Frankfurt, Germany in August 1996. Harris had concealed the snakes and tortoises in a suitcase he brought with him on a commercial flight from Germany. "Today's sentences should make clear to would-be wildlife smugglers that they will be caught and they will be punished," said Lois Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "I applaud the diligent efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Customs Service, whose efforts have enabled the Justice Department to prosecute those who engage in illegal wildlife trafficking -- an industry that generates billions of dollars in illegal profits every year." The animals smuggled by Harris were discovered when a U.S. Customs Service officer at Orlando International Airport felt something moving inside Harris' suitcase. Kloe was arrested after arranging to take delivery of the reptiles from Harris. Both men pleaded guilty before Judge Conway in October 1996. Harris pleaded guilty to smuggling, while Kloe pleaded guilty to conspiracy, smuggling, money laundering, and attempted escape. Kloe had fled across an expressway from the car transporting him after his arrest, but was again apprehended shortly thereafter. In addition, Kloe pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act, a federal law that protects wildlife. In August, a federal grand jury returned an 18 count indictment against Harris and Kloe and four others for participating in the international wildlife smuggling conspiracy. According to the indictment, purchasers paid for the smuggled animals by wire transfers of funds from Canada to the United States and from the United States to Europe. The animals smuggled in the overall conspiracy included approximately 107 Madagascan Tree Boas, 25 Spider Tortoises, 51 Radiated Tortoises, and two Madagascan Ground Boas. The Radiated Tortoise is classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. All of the species are protected by an international treaty known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. The four other defendants indicted along with Kloe and Harris remain outside the United States and have not been arraigned. The United States has begun the formal process for extradition of defendant Enrico Joseph Truant of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Other defendants not yet arraigned include Frank H. Lehmeyer, Roland Werner, and Olaf Strohmann, all German citizens. ### 97-014