CDFW News

Unsuspecting Airline Passengers Reveal Smuggled Sea Turtle Skull, Other Wildlife Crimes to Plainclothes CDFW Wildlife Officers Leading to Prosecution, Fines and Forfeiture

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:26:44 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the settlement of an investigation involving the unlawful possession of a sea turtle skull, several mountain lions, a wolverine, a ringtail cat, owl parts and illegally harvested deer.

CDFW’s investigation was conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and prosecuted by the Butte County and Napa County district attorney’s offices and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California resulting in a conviction, fines and probation for all involved suspects.

CDFW’s investigation began in November 2023 when two of its canine officers from the Northern Enforcement District were flying back to northern California from a training in San Diego.

The officers were dressed in plain clothes and seated in front of a couple who were discussing hunting. A conversation with the officers and the unsuspecting couple ensued that ultimately led to the couple disclosing that they were transporting a sea turtle skull from the East Coast in their luggage. The couple also discussed their unlawful take of a mountain lion, which is a specially protected species in California illegal to hunt or possess in whole or in part.

The couple then spoke openly about a close family member’s unlawful possession of multiple taxidermized mountain lions, a wolverine and wolves at the family member’s residence in Napa County. The couple then proceeded to share a video with the wildlife officers of the family member’s “trophy room” where the illegal mounts were displayed.

After deboarding the plane, the wildlife officers asked if the couple would show them the sea turtle skull. The suspects acknowledged the potential unlawful possession and waited until after any Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers could see before showing the officers the sea turtle skull concealed in a jacket inside their carry-on luggage. The skull belonged to a green sea turtle, a federally listed endangered species illegal to possess and transport.

Once back to their patrol districts, the wildlife officers authored search warrants for the couple’s residence in Chico and the family member’s residence in Napa County. The warrants were signed by judges in Butte and Napa counties.

In the process of serving the search warrant in Butte County, wildlife officers found the couple processing a deer that was taken illegally earlier in the day. Deer season was closed, and the suspects had no deer tags. Also inside the residence, wildlife officers found mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, a barn owl mount, an illegal spike buck and several unlawfully taken deer with tagging violations.

Ringtail cats are a fully protected species in California. Mounted raptors and raptor parts are illegal to possess without appropriate state and federal permits.

At the family member’s residence in Napa County, meanwhile, wildlife officers discovered two illegal, full-bodied taxidermized mountain lions and one full-bodied taxidermized wolverine. Wolverines are another fully protected species in California illegal to possess.

All the unlawfully possessed animals and parts of unlawful animals were seized as evidence for the prosecution in Napa County, Butte County and in federal district court.

Formal complaints were filed against 24-year-old Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 28-year-old Shannon Lee Price and 64-year-old Harry Vern Fitzpatrick by the Butte and Napa County district attorney’s offices, which initiated prosecution of the poaching crimes. The possession of the sea turtle skull, portions of deer parts and the owl violations were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which assisted in the search warrants, investigation and prosecution.

A plea agreement was reached on Jan. 30, 2025, in Butte County. Byron Lee Fitzpatrick was convicted of violating Fish and Game Code section 2000(a) and 2002, receiving a $1,865 fine and one-year probation prohibiting hunting or being around those engaged in hunting. Shannon Lee Price was convicted of violating Fish and Game Code section 2002, receiving a $1,015 fine and one-year probation prohibiting hunting or being around those engaged in hunting. All wildlife seized was forfeited.

A plea agreement was reached on April 23, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price were each fined $1,000 for violations of federal wildlife regulations and laws.

A plea agreement was reached on Feb. 15, 2024, in Napa County. Harry Vern Fitzpatrick was convicted of two counts of Fish and Game Code section 4800(b), fined $605, ordered to serve six-months probation and forfeited all unlawfully possessed and transported wildlife as a result of the convictions.

“This case exemplifies the unwavering preparedness and swift action demonstrated by our wildlife officers,” said CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold. “It highlights a broad spectrum of natural resource violations and underscores the critical role our officers play in safeguarding our resources, not only here in California but elsewhere throughout the country and abroad. These violations encompass the take of deer out of season and the illegal possession of taxidermy, including endangered and protected species. Like human and narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking of both live animals and animal parts is known to fund transnational criminal organizations and their violent activities all over the world. The individuals involved exhibited a flagrant disregard for laws governing natural resources and are now being held accountable for their actions.”

CDFW is thankful for the support from the Butte and Napa County district attorney’s offices as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The investigation, which started as a casual conversation among airline passengers, led officers to serious violations of state and federal wildlife laws.

Anyone witnessing a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation or who has information about such a violation should immediately dial the toll-free CALTIP number, 1-888 334-CALTIP (888-334-2258), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Media Contacts:
Asst. Chief Andrew Halverson, CDFW Law Enforcement, (661) 428-9873
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

Ventura County Deputy District Attorney Named 2021 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 11:12:38 GMT

Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney (SDDA) Karen Wold has been named 2021 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California Fish and Game Commission announced this week.

“Senior Deputy DA Karen Wold has taken several complicated investigations by CDFW’s wildlife officers and turned them into successful prosecutions, thereby making it clear that poaching and pollution crimes will not be tolerated in Ventura County,” said David Bess, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of the Law Enforcement Division.

SDDA Karen Wold and her team of investigators from the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit have been valuable partners and a trusted resource for wildlife officers. For years, Wold has led the charge to hold poaching and pollution violators in Ventura County accountable through effective prosecution and assessment of criminal and civil penalties. Those penalties range from fines, permanent and temporary injunctions, imprisonment, cost recovery, educational outreach signage and the procurement of supplies and equipment to help various agencies continue to protect the state’s natural resources.

“We are very proud of Senior Deputy District Attorney Karen Wold’s achievements and are grateful to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for their collaboration and recognition of her work,” said Erik Nasarenko, Ventura County District Attorney. “Karen is a dedicated prosecutor — she works hard each day to enforce laws that protect the environment and wildlife in our beautiful state.”

Over the years, the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit has been responsible for securing some favorable dispositions against businesses that pollute in Ventura County. Most notably, a civil settlement in 2016 against Crimson Pipeline totaled nearly $1.6 million in penalties, costs and natural resource damage restitution.

More recently, however, SDDA Wold was vital in securing a settlement against a local commercial fishing vessel operator who allowed toxic substances to flow into the waters of Channel Islands Harbor. In June 2021, wildlife officers from the patrol boat Swordfish observed a commercial squid seiner exiting Ventura Harbor after conducting an off-load of market squid. The officers monitored the vessel, knowing they were most likely heading out of the harbor to dump their excess tank water, known as “stick-water.” Stick water is deleterious to aquatic life due to its ability to create an oxygen deficient environment and create increased amounts of lethal ammonia. Because of its deleterious nature to fish, commercial fishermen are required to dump it outside of state waters, defined as at least three miles offshore.

After boarding the vessel and conducting interviews, officers determined the vessel dumped the toxic water just outside the breakwater and well inside the boundaries of state waters. The case was turned over to SDDA Wold and her team, and they recently settled the case for a civil penalty of $20,000. Included in that penalty was funding set aside for educational signage inside the harbor, most specifically at the commercial squid processing dock, that addresses the regulations and deleterious nature of stick water.

In February 2021, wildlife officers from CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response responded to reports of excessive amounts of paint debris coating nearby vessels and rocks along the jetty. Through investigation, the officers determined a local commercial fishing vessel operator was sanding their deck and hull without any containment setup. The case was turned over to SDDA Wold and her team, and they promptly went to work to reach a settlement. In the end, the violator agreed to pay $20,000 in fines with nearly $15,000 of that earmarked for oil spill response equipment.

SDDA Wold and her team not only help with marine environmental prosecutions, but they also step in to help with some of the more egregious fish and wildlife crimes that take place in Ventura County. In July 2019, wildlife officers investigated the killing of a collared mountain lion in the Simi Hills, Ventura County. The investigation revealed that a worker at a local college shot and killed a mountain lion that was being monitored via a GPS collar. After killing the lion, the suspect cut off the GPS collar to cover up his crime. He then drove the collar and the lion carcass to two different locations and dumped them several miles from the kill site. Wold prosecuted this case with the utmost seriousness and after several meetings, the suspect ultimately pled guilty to the charge of unlawfully killing a mountain lion and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 30 days in a work release program, 240 hours of community service at a local animal shelter and three years of summary probation.

“Senior Deputy DA Wold exemplifies the type of prosecutor who can take a poaching or pollution crime investigation and turn into a successful prosecution that not only holds the violator accountable but serves as a warning to others that they too will be held accountable for similar violations,” said Commission President Samantha Murray. “The Commission created this award for prosecutors like Wold to acknowledge good work and to set an example for other prosecutors.”

CDFW is proud of the partnership established through years of collaboration with SDDA Wold and thankful for her leadership in protecting the natural resources of Ventura County.

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Media Contacts:
Assistant Chief Eric Kord, CDFW Law Enforcement Division, (619) 921-5959
Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 212-7352