A Florida man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal criminal charges that included conspiring to illegally export thousands of turtles to Germany and Hong Kong, as well as falsifying documents to conceal his actions.
John Michael Kreatsoulas, 36, of Alva, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic wildlife and nine counts of falsifying records in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to court records, from July 2015 to July 2021, Kreatsoulas was the owner and principal of Omni Reptiles, Inc., an unregistered Florida business located in Alva, Florida.
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Omni was in the business of domestic and international wholesale trade of wildlife, including protected species of reptiles. Kreatsoulas and Omni shipped wildlife they sold to domestic and foreign customers, including to customers in Germany and Hong Kong through Miami International Airport.
Kreatsoulas and his co-conspirators collected and captured various species of turtles, including three-stripe mud turtles and Florida mud turtles, from the wild in Florida and sold those turtles to interstate and foreign customers. Kreatsoulas then falsified U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Forms 3-177, which accompanied the international shipments, by including a false “Source” code attesting that the turtles were captive-bred and not wild-caught.
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Kreatsoulas also falsified invoices related to the sale of the turtles, which purported to show that the turtles sold to co-conspirators in Florida and outside the United States were “captive-bred” hatchling three-stripe mud turtles when, in fact, they were taken from the wild by Kreatsoulas and his co-conspirators.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 17 at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II. Kreatsoulas faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count.
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