CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. -- A lengthy investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has led to the arrest of nine Southwest Florida men on charges related to illegal wildlife violations.
FWC undercover officers say they managed to become part of the alligator farming community to gain information and evidence about suspected poachers who were breaking the law in regard to the FWC’s public and private lands alligator egg harvesting program and alligator farming.
During the course of the investigation, FWC undercover officers said that they documented numerous criminal violations, resulting in the arrest of nine individuals for 44 felony violations.
Investigators said that they documented over 10,000 illegally harvested eggs during the course of the undercover operation.
“Many of these suspects were part of a criminal conspiracy,” said Maj. Grant Burton, head of the FWC’s Investigations Section, in a statement. “Their crimes pose serious environmental and economic consequences. These suspects not only damage Florida’s valuable natural resources, they also harm law-abiding business owners by operating black markets that undermine the legal process.”
FWC expects more arrests.
The suspects and their charges:
Robert Kelly Albritton (DOB 01/21/1981) of Arcadia
One felony count of Racketeering.
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
One felony count of Scheme to Defraud.
Fourteen felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs/Alligators.Robert Thomas Beasley (DOB 02/05/1979) of Arcadia
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
Six felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs/Alligators.David Wentworth Nellis (DOB 10/10/1943) of Punta Gorda
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
One felony count of Uttering a Forged Instrument.
One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs.Carl Wayne Pickle Jr. (DOB 12/22/1969) of Arcadia
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
Four felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs/Alligators.Wayne Andrew Nichols (DOB 07/15/1975) of Arcadia
Three felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
One felony count of Unlawful Killing of White Ibis.
One first-degree misdemeanor count of Attempting to Take White Ibis.Christopher Lee Briscall (DOB 01/28/1995) of Fort Denaud
One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.Matthew Edward Evors (DOB 10/20/1992) of Cape Coral
One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.Isaiah Joseph Romano (DOB 12/17/1994) of Fort Denaud
One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.Jacob Oliver Bustin-Pitts (DOB 11/11/1993) of Fort Denaud
One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.