 © April 19, 2008 - All rights reserved |
LOS ANGELES, California - A Long Beach man has been acquitted of smuggling iguanas in his hollowed-out prosthetic leg. However, a jury on Thursday found Jereme James guilty of concealing and possessing Fiji Island banded iguanas (Brachylophus fasciatus). The neon green-striped iguanas are endangered species, prosecutors said.
He faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison when sentenced July 14.
The jury rejected charges that James stole the iguanas while visiting the South Pacific island in September 2002.
An e-mail message to James' lawyer was not immediately returned.
During an undercover probe, James told investigators he had sold three iguanas for $32,000, prosecutors said. Four iguanas were seized when a search warrant was served at his house in April.