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PEORIA: Man charged with selling undersized turtles

By ANDY KRAVETZ
of the Journal Star

PEORIA — A North Peoria man who appeared in U.S. District Court today was charged with selling undersized turtles at four events in East Peoria two years ago.

Jason Johnson, 31, of 1006 E. Brookside Lane stands charged with conspiracy to sell the terrapins as well as one count of actually selling an undersized turtle at one of the events he organized in August 2005.

Another man, Keith Cantore, 27, who is in custody at a federal prison in Michigan for an unknown charge, faces the same charges. He has not yet appeared in court. Both men face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

For years, little turtles were commonly sold as pets. But they tended to carry salmonella, a dangerous bacteria, and young children would get sick after they put the turtles into their mouths. So in the early 1970s, the federal government banned the sale of the turtles under four inches in size.

Johnson was the organizer of the Midwest Reptile Expo and held four events in 2005 at the East Peoria Convention Center. It was at these events, the government alleges, that both men sold the illegal turtles.
The indictment, handed down Sept. 19 but unsealed Tuesday, states Cantore and Johnson also sold alligators to undercover officers. Johnson allegedly sold a red-eared slider turtle to an officer who told him it was for his 7-year-old son.

check out all the comments on www.pjstar.com

I know the law is the law, but they had an undercover officer go in and buy a baby turtle to get this "criminal" off the streets.

Not where I would have my priorities...

Lance

yeah i agree forget about all the endagered animals out there they could be helping. forget about all the poachers out there they could be stopping but no lets go pick on the guy with the baby turtles.

roadrunner beep beep

Tiny turtles get Peoria man in trouble

Man faces charges for allegedly selling undersized terrapins

Advertisement

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

By ANDY KRAVETZ

of the Journal Star

PEORIA - When it comes to turtles, size does matter.
Just ask a North Peoria man who appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday charged with selling undersized turtles at four events in East Peoria two years ago.

Jason Johnson, 31, of 1006 E. Brookside Lane stands charged with conspiracy to sell the terrapins as well as one count of actually selling an undersized turtle at one of the events he organized in August 2005.

Another man, Keith Cantore, 27, who is in custody at a federal prison in Michigan for an unknown charge, faces the same charges. He has not yet appeared in court. Both men face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

For years, little turtles were commonly sold as pets. But they tended to carry salmonella, a dangerous bacteria, and young children would get sick after they put the turtles into their mouths. So in the early 1970s, the federal government banned the sale of the turtles less than four inches in size.

Johnson was the organizer of the Midwest Reptile Expo and held four events in 2005 at the East Peoria Convention Center. It was at these events, the government alleges, that both men sold the illegal turtles.

The indictment, handed down Sept. 19 but unsealed Tuesday, states Cantore and Johnson also sold alligators to undercover officers. Johnson allegedly sold a red-eared slider turtle to an officer who told him it was for his 7-year-old son.

In an October 2005 Journal Star story about a raid on the expo that resulted in a citation for an Iowa-based vendor, a Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman said the expo has been "the subject of an extensive investigation for the unlawful sale of threatened or endangered species since its inception."

Johnson was quoted as saying he knew the law well and believed that he could sell small turtles because he was a hobbyist. In that same story, however, a DNR officer is quoted as telling Johnson that turtles with shells under four inches were off limits.

Johnson's attorney, Spencer Daniels of Peoria, said his client would fight the charges.

Michael Shelton, the president of the Central Illinois Herpetological Society, said it is common knowledge in the reptile industry that you can't sell these small turtles. His organization was not involved in sponsoring the expos.

Johnson was released on a personal recognizance bond pending his Dec. 3 trial before U.S. District Judge Joe McDade.

Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.com.

this i can not believe!!! The only thing i can think of to say to all reptile people is that if these guys get convicted we will see all the feds and other agents at all the show across the nation busting people for baby turtles, because right now no one has ever been indicted or convicted of selling baby turtles!!! and if these guys get convicted then they will have president. This is a sad day for all reptile hobbiest.