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On Tuesday, Oct. 10, 75-year-old Charles Limmer of Commack was charged on six counts for his alleged wildlife smuggling, including dead specimens of a protected butterfly species, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Limmer was the operator of a commercial business specializing in importing, exporting, buying, and selling wildlife. He had a license to do so from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which he got in 2016.
According to the indictment, FWS suspended Limmer’s license in October 2022, though it isn’t specified why.
This did not stop Limmer, the US Attorney’s Office claimed, as for the next year, he illegally imported and exported over $200 thousand worth of dead insects all over the world, selling them to customers via the internet.
Included in the specimens Limmer shipped were “birdwing” butterflies, an endangered and protected species of butterfly known for their large size and angular wings.
In an effort to cover up his shady shipments, Limmer purportedly directed employees to label his packages as “decorative wall coverings,” “origami papercraft,” and “wall decorations.”
Additionally, the former businessman is accused of saying to a co-conspirator, “Screw [the US Fish and Wildlife Service]...They are a gang of Orangutans.”
All types of wildlife imported and exported — whether dead or alive, in parts or whole, and even products made in part by specific species — are required to be declared to FWS. Further documents are required for endangered species, and packages must be labeled correctly.
Along with Limmer’s indictment, the US Attorney’s Office is looking to forfeit the over 1,000 butterflies, insects, and moths that it says were illegally trafficked.
If Limmer is convicted of smuggling, he faces up to 20 years behind bars.
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