The speech of the airlines about criminal wildlife activities leads to law enforcement

Posted on February 26, 2025

A CDFW examination

Sacramento – On February 25, 2025, the California Ministry of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced the settlement of an investigation in which the illegal possession of a sea tortoise skull, several mountain lions, a Wolverine, a ringtail cat, EW parts and illegally harvested Hirger was involved.

The investigation by CDFW was pursued in cooperation with the US fish and wild animal service of Butte County and Napa County District Attorney's Offices and the US district court for the eastern district of California, which led to guilty, fines and probation for everyone involved.

The examination of CDFW began in November 2023, when two CDFW covers were on a flight from San Diego to Northern California. The officers wore in simple clothes and sat in front of a couple who discussed hunting. A conversation between the officers and the unsuspecting couple ultimately led to the couple revealed that they transported a sea turtle skull from the east coast in their luggage. The couple also discussed his illegal hiring of a mountain lion that is a specially protected way in California, which is illegal to hunt or own.

The couple then spoke about the illegal ownership of several taxidermic mountain lions through a close family member, a Wolverine and wolves in the residence of the family member in Napa County. The couple then shared a video with the wildlife officials of the “trophy space” of the family member, in which the illegal brings were issued.

After the wildlife officers founded the plane, they asked if the couple would show them the turtle tag of the sea turtle. The suspects recognized the potential illegal possession and waited for officers from the transport security authority (TSA) before they had hidden the marine turtle skull in a jacket in their hand luggage to the officials. The skull belonged to a green sea turtle, a endangered species listed by the federal government that illegally own and transport.

When the wildlife officers were returned to their patrol districts, they wrote search commands for the couple's residence in Chico and the residence of the family member in Napa County. The arrest warrants were signed by the judges in the counties Butte and Napa.

During the experiment of the search command in Butte County, Wildlife officials found that the couple processed a deer who was illegally taken in the day. The deer season was closed and the suspects had no deer tags. In the residence, wildlife officials found mountain lions, an instruction tail cat, a barn -owl, an illegal spike stake and several illegal deer with marking injuries.

Boatzail cats are a fully protected species in California. Raptors and raptor parts are illegal without having adequate state and state permits.

In the residence of the family member in the Napa district, wildlife officers discovered two illegal, full -bodied taxididized mountain lions and a fully -horny taxidized Wolverine. Wolverines are another fully protected way in California, which is illegal to own.

All illegally obsessed animals and parts of illegal animals were referred to as proof of law enforcement in the district of Napa, Butte County and before the Federal District Court.

Formal symptoms against Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 24, Shannon Lee Price (28) and Harry Vern Fitzpatrick (64) were submitted by the Butte and Napa County Prosecutor, who initiated the law enforcement of wildlife breaks. The possession of the sea tortoise skulls, the parts of the deer parts and owl injuries was handed over to the US fish and wildlife service, which supported the search commands, investigations and law enforcement.

A plea contract was made on January 30, 2025 in Butte County:

• Byron Lee Fitzpatrick guilty about violation of fish and game code section 2000 (A) and 2002 and received a fine of $ 1,865 and one-year probation that banned hunting or hunting with them.
• Shannon Lee Price guilty of violating fish and game code section in 2002, a fine of $ 1,015 and one-year probation that prohibits hunting or hunting with them. All wild animals were forfeited.

On April 23, 2024, a plea contract was made before the US district court for the eastern district of California:

• Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price were each topped with a fine of 1,000 US dollars for violations of the federal state's provisions and laws.

On February 15, 2024 in Napa County, a plea contract was made:

• Harry Vern Fitzpatrick owed two cases of fish and game code section 4800 (B), was filled with a fine of $ 605, was dependent on a trial period of six months and all illegal obsessed and transported wildlife was forfeited as a result of the convictions.

“This case illustrates the unshakable willingness and the quick action of our wildlife officials,” said the CDFW boss of the law enforcement authorities Nathanial Arnold. “It underlines a wide range of violations of natural resources and underlines the crucial role that our civil servants play when protecting our resources, not only here in California, but also elsewhere in the country and abroad. These violations include taking deer outside of the season and the illegal possession of taxididmia, including endangered and protected species. Like the human trafficking of humans and anesthetic, it is known that worldwide -living animals and parts of the world are financed worldwide transnational criminal organizations. The people involved showed an obvious disregard for laws for natural resources and are now being held accountable for their actions. “