BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Federal prosecutors have charged a man with illegally importing the head of a green sea turtle — a species protected under CITES and the Endangered Species Act .

The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina Beaufort Division alleges that in September of 2023, John Maurice Trask III, “did knowingly import, export, transport, acquire, and purchase a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) head.”

The green sea turtle is listed on Appendix I of CITES , which according to the NOAA , “includes species threatened with extinction and provides the greatest level of protection, including a prohibition on commercial trade.”

The filing alleges Trask III should have known the said sea turtle was, “taken, possessed, transported, or sold” unlawfull

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