Donald Schultz pleaded guilty in federal court
in Los Angeles to violating the Endangered Species Act, the U.S.
attorney's office said.
As part of a plea deal, Schultz agreed to pay a $6,000 fine and
$3,000 restitution, as recommended by prosecutors, and to
perform 200 hours of community service.
Schultz's lawyer, Ken Miller, said he didn't want to comment on
the plea because the case is ongoing, but he wanted to clarify
that the lizards were Schultz's personal pets, and they were
"captive, born and bred in the United States."
Schultz sold the rare lizards for $2,500 to an undercover
federal wildlife agent who answered his 2010 offer on Facebook.
A federal agent received the lizards in Buffalo, N.Y., and took
them into custody.
On his show, Schultz parachuted into remote locations to take
biological samples from deadly snakes and other dangerous
animals.
[Associated
Press]
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