Posted by:
jeffb
at Thu Mar 26 09:43:54 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by jeffb ]
We can't do anything until law enforcement takes action as
#1 If we remove suspected illegal animals on our own we may impede ongoing criminal investigations by law enforcement that we are unaware of
#2 If we have received subpoenas regarding an individual or his ads we are most often required by law not to take any actions until such time as an arrest is made
There is much that I cannot say because I am precluded by law from discussing ongoing criminal investigations that we are aware of and I am precluded from discussing the specifics after the fact by privacy laws. I can tell you in general terms there is always a criminal investigation occurring, usually by more than one agency, and barring that law enforcement agencies visit the site every single day looking for violations. If there is something illegal or marginally legal for sale in our classifieds you can bet someone from some law enforcement agency is aware of it almost as soon as it's posted.
In the past we have worked closely with many agencies even to the extent of allowing criminals to continue to operate long after their arrest at the request of those agencies so that they could monitor their activities. Additionally over the years we have answered hundreds of subpoenas and information requests from law enforcement. Considering the overwhelming presence of law enforcement viewing our sites, and the fact that anyone using our web site (or any web site for that matter) leaves an electronic trail that is easily followed, it is an extremely unwise criminal that uses our services to commit crimes.
As Craig over at Craig's list will tell you the media, the states, and congress all seem to have have plenty of free time to attempt to shut us down over the illegal behavior of a relatively small segment of our userbase. Already more than one attempt has been made to introduce legislation that would ban the sale of animals over the internet, and at least 1 state is currently attempting to strip our federal COPA protections regarding posts made to our sites by others because of prostitution ads posted to his site.
In fact Craig has made changes to site, even though he was not required too by law, at the "request" of a number of states in an effort to appease those agencies involved. Regardless he is still being sued by the Cook County Sheriff's Office who wants a section of the site shut down accusing Craig's list of "knowingly promoting prostitution in the US" calling it "the single largest source of prostitution in the nation". Replace the words "prostitution" with "illegal reptiles" and you can see how close our worlds parallel and the risks others can cause to our business.
The trade in illegal reptiles is a tiny fraction compared to the trade in legal reptiles that occur here. It is our hope that the few that choose to break the law do not ruin it for the many many others that are selling their animals here legally.
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RE: More info: Busted in New York. - jeffb, Thu Mar 26 09:43:54 2009