WORCESTER – A Worcester man was sentenced on Monday, October 5, for charges related to wildlife smuggling.
Nathan Boss, 27, received a sentence of time served and two years of supervised release with the first five months served in home confinement.
In June 2020, Boss pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling wildlife into the United States, two counts of smuggling wildlife out of the United States and one count of making a false statement to a federal agent.
In 2017. Boss lied to federal investigators about the identity of a recipient of wildlife illegally imported into the U.S.
During the investigation, federal officials intercepted a package from Hong Kong at an address in Worcester. That package contained four black-breasted leaf turtles (Geoemyda spengleri), a species included in the Convention for Trade in Endangered Species and Wild Fauna.
Any black-breasted leaf turtle must be declared and approved by Fish and Wildlife Services before being imported.
According to U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office, Boss also illegally imported a species of salamander that can carry a fungal disease and is prohibited from importation into the United States
The investigation also revealed that Boss illegally exported undeclared wildlife on multiple occasions.
