I Like Turtles Kid, All Grown Up

Beasley Digital

A man has been shipping turtles across the country. Is he the "I Like Turtles" Kid all grown up?

Transcript

00:01A Middletown man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to trafficking protected turtles.

00:0662-year-old David Summers of Levittown struck a plea agreement with federal prosecutors

00:10and pleaded guilty to one felony count of violating the Lacey Act

00:13and agreed to forfeit nearly 3,500 Diamondback Terrapin hatchlings,

00:17according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

00:21Prosecutors said Summers admitted that he falsely labeled the trafficked turtles

00:26taken from the New Jersey Marsh Habitat between August 2014 and October 2017.

00:31He acknowledged sending a package containing 11 of them to Canada

00:35and mislabeling the package as a book to underreport its value.

00:40Officials from the Environment and Climate Change Canada intercepted the package of turtles

00:44and alerted American authorities.

00:45Today marks a major step forward in treating the character of a turtle.

00:50This guy was making a ton of money.

00:52I had no idea they were worth that much.

00:55He made a half million dollars over three years.

00:57Oh, my God.

00:59It's better than cocaine.

01:00Shipping turtles.

01:01Shipping turtles.

01:03Do you have my stuff?

01:05What did he get pinched for?

01:06Lying about it or just shipping it in general?

01:08Yeah, the package.

01:09The Canadian government intercepted the package and then they contacted the United States.

01:14So, yes, some of these endangered exotic animals can draw incredible money.

01:18So I can't go do that as a cottage industry as long as I ship it and package it correctly.

01:24No, you can't.

01:25It doesn't matter.

01:26It's just straight up illegal.

01:27Okay.

01:28Summer's sentencing will take place on May 15th.

01:30The 62-year-old could be sentenced to as many as five years behind bars, three years of supervised release,

01:35a $250,000 fine and restitution to New Jersey for the value of the turtles.

01:39Imagine you end up in a cell and the guy with you is a triple homicide.

01:43What are you in for?

01:44Turtles.

01:45Turtles.

01:45I don't know where he's picking these things up at, but there is Turtle City.

01:50In New Jersey.

01:51All right.

01:51So, but when you're going into Wildwood, right, like North Wildwood, because I ride my bike

01:56there all the time, they have all these turtle crossing signs, which is great.

01:59Yes.

01:59But there's a huge wall barrier that is in the middle of the road.

02:03And I'm like.

02:04How do they clear that?

02:04They don't.

02:05Yeah.

02:05They don't.

02:06Like, so if you clearly know that turtles are crossing here, why did you put up a wall

02:10for them to just get smashed by cars?

02:12Is there's no opening in the wall?

02:14None.

02:14There's no sign.

02:15Turtles go through here.

02:16No.

02:16And I don't think they can read.

02:18No.

02:18That's right.

02:19Okay.

02:19So these turtles are protected under New Jersey law and by an international treaty.

02:23They are not found in the wild in Pennsylvania, but where Summers resided, but they have

02:27a dwindling habitat range in neighboring New Jersey.

02:30So there are some in New Jersey, but it's, it's completely legal.

02:32And this guy apparently was, he worked for numerous Republican candidates in Bucks

02:36County in recent years and was previously a reporter.

02:39He previously covered news for the Trentonian Bucks County Courier Times and the News Network

02:44and also wrote for LevittownNow.com between 2013 and 2014.

02:48And not another turtle story, please.

02:50Seriously.

02:52I like turtles.

02:53Love them.

02:55That's that little kid grew up to me.

02:57That's him.

02:57Oh my God, it's him.

02:59I love turtles.

03:00All that comes across my desk are goddamn turtle stories.

03:04I'm telling you for years.

03:06I like, couldn't you see the signs?

03:09You interviewed me when I was a kid.

03:12It was a cry for help.

03:14I was dressed as a zombie and I said I love turtles.

03:17Why was no one listening?

03:20Looking good.

03:20Jonathan just got an awesome face paint job.

03:23What do you think?

03:23I like turtles.

03:25All right.

03:26You're great zombie.

03:27Oh my God.

03:31It's him.

03:32It's him later on in life.

03:34I love it.

03:34It never stops.

03:36Oh.

03:36It never stops.

03:37It never stops.

03:38It never stops.

03:39It never stops.

03:40It never stops.

03:41It never stops.

03:42It never stops.

03:43It never stops.

03:44It never stops.

03:45It never stops.

03:46It never stops.

03:47It never stops.

03:48It never stops.

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