U.S. Court in S. Florida Sentences Cruise Ship Employees for Smuggling Endangered Species

On November 18, 1999, U.S. District Judge Jose Gonzalez in Fort Lauderdale sentenced Dwayne Cunningham to 14 months incarceration with two years supervised released and Robert Lawracy to two years incarceration with two years supervised released for their roles in illegally trafficking rare reptiles protected under domestic and international law. In May 1999, Cunningham and Lawracy were found guilty of conspiring with another to violate the Lacey Act, the federal smuggling statute, and the international treaty known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is enforced through the federal Endangered Species Act…[more]