New Jersey Man Smuggles Turtles From USA to China

A man here in New Jersey was recently given probation. Post and Courier has reported that 26- year-old William Gangemi was sentenced yesterday for hiding rare turtles and shipping them overseas.

Fox News reported, Gangemi, best known as Billy, would hide the reptile in candy wrappers or socks in which he would use to ship it. Billy's smuggling locations ranged from South Carolina to as far as Hong Kong.

The Freehold native wasn’t the only one involved in this scheme.  The Post and Courier has reported that Steve Verren Baker, Joseph Brooks and Matthew Fischer were also part of the crime.  

Gangemi will not spend time in prison according to Post and Courier due to the fact that his collection of turtles wasn’t as expansive as his counterparts.

According to Garden State Tortoise’s website, it is illegal to sell or purchase turtles or tortoises within the state.  According to Reptiles Magazine, South Carolina has a stricter policy when it comes to owning turtles, for example, a limit of how many of a single species someone can own.