Arizona man and his mom sentenced for importing endangered wildlife

PHOENIX - The United States Attorney's Office announced on Oct. 16 that a Phoenix man and his mother have been sentenced to prison for importing wildlife that is considered to be endangered.

In a statement, officials said 23-year-old Raymond Anthony Rabago Montoya has been sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. His mother, 50-year-old Griselda Guadalupe Montoya-Gastelum of Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced to 19 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

"Montoya-Gastelum pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Lacey Act on April 25, 2024, and Rabago Montoya pleaded guilty to the same offense on April 26, 2024," read a portion of the statement.

According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website, the Lacey Act, in its current form, bans the "importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States or any Indian tribal law, or foreign law."

Officials said Montoya and Montoya-Gastelum "coordinated the illegal importation of exotic and protected wildlife from Mexico, including tigers, panthers, monkeys, and exotic parrots, into the United States, concealed through ports of entry, for financial gain." An investigation began in August 2022, after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received a report from a person who believed the four exotic parrots they bought from Montoya were illegally imported.

"This report and further investigation led to the January 2023 execution of a search warrant at the home of Carlos Castro, where a tiger cub, an alligator, 12 snapping turtles, 6 tortoises, and boxes of other reptiles were found," investigators wrote. "Snapchat messages revealed that Montoya-Gastelum and Castro discussed illegal exotic animal sales and trades."

Per the statement, federal agents made two undercover purchases of monkeys from the two for $6,000 each in April and May 2023, after they saw ads for spider monkeys on Facebook.

"In June and August 2023, Rabago Montoya was encountered by law enforcement with dozens of endangered parrots concealed in his vehicle, many of which were deceased. Defendants were indicted on September 12, 2023, and arrested the following day," read a portion of the statement.

Besides a prison sentence and supervised release, officials said Montoya was also ordered to pay $3,000 to the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund.