A man has been shipping turtles across the country. Is he the "I Like Turtles" Kid all grown up?
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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.
01:44Turtles.
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.
03:37It never stops.
03:38It never stops.
03:38It never stops.
03:38It never stops.
03:39It never stops.
03:39It never stops.
03:40It never stops.
03:40It never stops.
03:41It never stops.
03:41It never stops.
03:42It never stops.
03:42It never stops.
03:43It never stops.
03:43It never stops.
03:44It never stops.
03:44It never stops.
03:45It never stops.
03:45It never stops.
03:46It never stops.
03:46It never stops.
03:47It never stops.
03:47It never stops.
03:48It never stops.
03:48It never stops.