Jeremy Stone and Sister in jail

I was debating on buying one of his snakes a few months back he lives not to far from me, I read about some white boa on his website. Don't really know what to say. Crazy if it is true though.

Brother, sister allegedly smuggled rare boa constrictor into US

Here is the link to the article I will post the story below.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=28293702&nid...cid=featured-2


SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah brother and sister face criminal charges for allegedly smuggling a rare boa constrictor into the United States to breed and sell the offspring for tens of thousands of dollars.
Jeremy Stone, 39, became aware of a white boa at the Niteroi Zoo near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that had been caught in the wild, according to a federal indictment.
Stone, owner Jeremy Stone Reptiles in Lindon, sent thousands of dollars to the zoo administrator between 2007 and 2009 as payment for the snake, prosecutors allege.
He sent or had others send emails to the administrator discussing how he could get the boa out of Brazil without export permits. The emails included photos demonstrating how the administrator should pack the snake in his sister's luggage, according to the indictment.
In January 2009, Stone and Keri Ann Stone, 34, of Midvale, traveled to Brazil to meet with the zoo administrator.
According to the indictment, a few days later the Stones attempted to leave Brazil on a cruise ship back to the United States but were denied permission to board because Kari Ann Stone appeared to be in the late months of pregnancy.
Airport security temporarily detained them after finding that she was wearing a hollow, false pregnancy belly and bra. The indictment alleges they were testing airport security.
They also attempted to board a flight to the United States. Airport security temporarily detained them after finding that she was wearing a hollow, false pregnancy belly and bra. The indictment alleges they were testing airport security.
The Stones ultimately moved the white boa from Brazil to Guyana, where a veterinarian created a fake certificate of origin showing the snake was caught in Guyana, according to the indictment.
Jeremy Stone sent the white boa and other snakes to the Unites States, declaring on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service form that they were caught in Guyana and valued at $220, the indictment says.
The snakes were cleared for entry in Miami based on false information on the form on Jan. 29, 2009, and transported to Stone Reptiles in Lindon, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges Jeremy Stone bred the white boa with other boa constrictors and sold the offspring for tens of thousands of dollars to buyers in the United States, Canada and Italy, among other places.
Jeremy Stone and Keri Ann Stone are charged in a four-count indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully import the snake into the United States; unlawfully importing the snake into the country; transporting the snake knowing it was imported contrary to law; and making and submitting false records for wildlife imported into the United States.
The maximum penalty for the conspiracy count is five years in prison. The potential penalty for importing merchandise contrary to law is 20 years, and submitting false information on a Fish and Wildlife form carries a penalty of five years in prison.

That's crazy...

Why not just get proper permits? Really stupid if this is true, and the snake will probably get euthanized into the bargain.

Yeah... All that trouble and now charges / prison time.. I'd get permits. Maybe said snake was illegal to get permits on(species is protected) or it could be illegal to get permits for an animal from Brazil, maybe.

There is another article on the forums here about that from a few months ago in the quarantine room - http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...nstrictors-com

I guess my main question is, if he knew it was illegal, why is he posting You-Tube videos about it? It seems like that would be an extraordinarily foolish thing to do. It just doesn't make sense.

quite a crazy story, and the penalty appears really over the top.


if he really blabbered about it on youtube, then he clearly did not expect that the laws would actually be enforced. also he acted quite stupidly. the way they did it allows no room to later claim that it was an error and/or that they didnt know that its illegal.

still, i think the punishment is over the top, 5 years in prison is extreme. if i would be the judge and wanted to make an example and choose a stiff punishment, i would force the guy to auction off the reptile collection and take the money, use it to pay off legal costs and stuff and have the rest donated for environmental protection. then, probation for some years, and no reptile keeping during that time. but 5 years in prison can really destroy a persons life. and there seem to be 3 charges, one would bring 5 years, the second up to 20 years, and the third one 5 years.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

I guess my main question is, if he knew it was illegal, why is he posting You-Tube videos about it?

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Most criminals get caught because they can't keep their mouths shut.

Didn't realize their was an thread about it inn quarantine, it was just recently that I saw it on my local news website. Pretty crazy though I can't imagine loosing 5 or more years of my life for that.

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Originally Posted by Pythonfriend

. if i would be the judge and wanted to make an example and choose a stiff punishment, i would force the guy to auction off the reptile collection and take the money, use it to pay off legal costs and stuff and have the rest donated for environmental protection. then, probation for some years, and no reptile keeping during that time.

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You would advocate for the guy losing his livelihood along with the livelihoods of his family and his employees? THAT seems extreme to me. This is a business that many other people rely upon to make their living at, not just Jeremy's personal hobby.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pythonfriend

still, i think the punishment is over the top, 5 years in prison is extreme. if i would be the judge and wanted to make an example and choose a stiff punishment, i would force the guy to auction off the reptile collection and take the money, use it to pay off legal costs and stuff and have the rest donated for environmental protection. then, probation for some years, and no reptile keeping during that time. but 5 years in prison can really destroy a persons life. and there seem to be 3 charges, one would bring 5 years, the second up to 20 years, and the third one 5 years.

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So you think he should face a more harsh punishment then many drug dealers and drug smugglers get? Why? Because he tried to use an animal to reproduce its kind. Its not like he smuggled in panda meat for burgers.

Those punishments listed are the max allowed for that crime. It is not guaranteed, and not the norm to get the max.