HOUSTON — A 21-year-old Katy woman has been sentenced to a year and three months in prison after she pleaded guilty to trying to sell endangered wildlife online, according to the Department of Justice.
Savannah Nichole Valdez tried to sell spider monkeys and other animals on Craiglist in violation of the Lacey Act, which combats the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants.
The DOJ said Valdez tried to enter the U.S. through the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville on March 21, 2022. Law enforcement saw a wooden box with holes in it in Valdez's car, which she claimed was full of beer she bought in Mexico.
When officials opened the box, they discovered a living spider monkey inside and told her to go get a second inspection. Valdez refused and sped off before running a traffic light and nearly hitting other officers.
Later that day, online posts were found of a woman trying to sell a spider monkey in the Greater Houston area with Valdez's phone number listed.
A week later, Valdez turned herself in and admitted to knowingly importing the monkey without declaring it. The monkey was recovered and taken to an animal shelter in Florida.
She was later sentenced to two years of supervised release in that case.
Then In the summer of 2023, authorities found several ads posted to Craigslist offering exotic birds for sale including keel-billed toucans and yellow-headed Amazon parrots, which are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Law enforcement identified the personal cell phone number of Valdez during the initial investigation.
Authorities later conducted an undercover operation involving the sale of two keel-billed toucans and a Mexican spider monkey.
On July 28, 2023, Valdez's mother arrived at Memorial City Mall to deliver the toucans to undercover officers and she accepted $3,000 as payment. The DOJ said Valdez's mother later admitted that her daughter had arranged the sale.
On Aug. 1, 2023, Valdez coordinated the sale of a Mexican spider monkey for $8,500. She had her sister deliver it on her behalf.
The feds revoked her original sentence of supervised release and sentenced her to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
All of the animals involved have been transferred to zoos within Texas.
