# Man accused of smuggling Aussie lizards



## shona (Jul 8, 2010)

*Published On:* -
*Source:* Nine MSN

A Californian man accused of attempting to smuggle 15 protected Australian lizards to the US by strapping them to his chest has lost a bid to expose the identity of an informant who tipped off US authorities.

Michael Plank, 40, faces up to 20 years' jail in the US if convicted of smuggling the 11 skinks, two geckos and two monitor lizards he allegedly collected in the Australian bush last November.

US authorities allege Plank is the owner of Big Game Reptiles, a Californian company promoting itself as a world leader in the breeding of Australian geckos.

On November 15 last year, two days before Plank boarded a United Airlines flight out of Sydney for Los Angeles, US authorities received "a call from a confidential informant" indicating Plank would be "smuggling lizards", US prosecutors allege.

When Plank's plane landed in LA a Customs officer performed a pat-down search on Plank and allegedly found two money belts containing 15 live lizards strapped to his chest.

Plank's lawyer, Larry Bakman, called on US District Court judge Otis D. Wright to suppress evidence derived from the pat-down search, claiming the search was "unsupported by reasonable suspicion". Mr Bakman also asked for an order disclosing the identity of the informant.

Judge Wright denied both motions, but left open the possibility of compelling the disclosure of the informant's identity if Plank can "present new evidence".

Plank has entered a not guilty plea to the smuggling charge and a jury trial is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles on July 27.

*Go to Original Article*


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## giglamesh (Jul 8, 2010)

i wonder how many of his lizards in the park have been smuggled


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## bigi (Jul 8, 2010)

good on the informant for coming forward and good on the courts for not identifying the person i say


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## siouxie (Jul 8, 2010)

bigi, how naive are you, mr tennessee confidential was only trying to eliminate his competition.

there are 3 people in australia currently shi*ting themselves atm that he doesn't get named and have to reveal what he knows, the canine-vet, the film-maker and the candle-stick-taker. sleep well boys.


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## AUSHERP (Jul 8, 2010)

what?


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## bensen (Jul 8, 2010)

AUSHERP said:


> what?


 
well, i think she just told us who the informant is and the perp's 3 aussie contacts. lucky she is not in california, or she would be charged with _sub judice._


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## Waterrat (Jul 8, 2010)

If I was her (siouxie) I would be shi*ting myself that one of the 3 hasn't got a gun. Especially the candle-stick-taker - they can be witheringly vicious.


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## siouxie (Jul 8, 2010)

Waterrat said:


> Especially the candle-stick-taker -


 
i've heard he's got no bullets, just a big mouth


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## siouxie (Jul 8, 2010)

sorry, i didn't realise that if you call someone the "candle-stick-taker", how many of you guys think i am referring to you.


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## AUSHERP (Jul 9, 2010)

if i was me, and i am, i wouldnt fully understand what is going on here....


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## The Devil (Jul 9, 2010)

This is starting to read a bit like a script from underbelly......The nick-names mean nothing to me, I'll have to ask around. The candle-sticker-taker is a new term to me, although the mind boggles


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## python78 (Jul 9, 2010)

sorry if this is a dumb question but...
how come if they got the tip off 2 days before he was leaving oz
didnt they stop him once he was about to bored the plane in sydney?
because he got stopped in the US does that mean the lizards cant be returned 
to Australia? just curious.


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## CodeRed (Jul 9, 2010)

interesting thread

we could turn this into the next APS competetion, Guess the Smuggler

but the clues are really too easy


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## FAY (Jul 9, 2010)

He is as thick-as-a-plank!


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## Ramsayi (Jul 7, 2011)

Lizard Smuggler Gets 15 Months Behind Bars After Being Caught At LAX - Beverly Hills Courier, Beverly Hills Newspaper


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## ad (Jul 7, 2011)

He had made a dozen trips hey. He would have kept making them too.

Of course, 'people' here approve of poaching - im assuming thats only when its their rich mate that gets caught redhanded, what about a seppo scumbag trying to 'improve the hobby for all Americans'?
Lets here all the 'poachers arent bad people' rubbish again hey :lol:


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## Defective (Jul 7, 2011)

i'd like to know how he didn't get caught taking herps from the wild without a permit?? and if authorities were notified 2 days prior to leaving, why didn't the australian authorities do anything....Slack much!


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## Gecko :) (Jul 7, 2011)

python78 said:


> sorry if this is a dumb question but...
> how come if they got the tip off 2 days before he was leaving oz
> didnt they stop him once he was about to bored the plane in sydney?
> because he got stopped in the US does that mean the lizards cant be returned
> to Australia? just curious.



I am also curious about this ^


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## GeckoJosh (Jul 7, 2011)

Lambert said:


> i'd like to know how he didn't get caught taking herps from the wild without a permit?? and if authorities were notified 2 days prior to leaving, why didn't the australian authorities do anything....Slack much!


I'm glad they busted him in the US, if he was caught in Aus he would have gotten a measly fine, I much prefer him spending 15 months wrangling the "snakes" in a federal prison!!!


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## Defective (Jul 7, 2011)

it's actually more like 20yrs Goldmember


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## GeckoJosh (Jul 7, 2011)

Lambert said:


> it's actually more like 20yrs Goldmember


What do you mean?


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## BigWillieStyles (Jul 7, 2011)

ad said:


> He had made a dozen trips hey. He would have kept making them too.
> 
> Of course, 'people' here approve of poaching - im assuming thats only when its their rich mate that gets caught redhanded, what about a seppo scumbag trying to 'improve the hobby for all Americans'?
> Lets here all the 'poachers arent bad people' rubbish again hey :lol:



He didnt do it to improve reptile keeping in America, he did it to make money for himself.


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## Defective (Jul 7, 2011)

the OP...
_
Published On: -
Source: Nine MSN

A Californian man accused of attempting to smuggle 15 protected Australian lizards to the US by strapping them to his chest has lost a bid to expose the identity of an informant who tipped off US authorities.

*Michael Plank, 40, faces up to 20 years' jail in the US if convicted of smuggling the 11 skinks, two geckos and two monitor lizards he allegedly collected in the Australian bush last November.*

US authorities allege Plank is the owner of Big Game Reptiles, a Californian company promoting itself as a world leader in the breeding of Australian geckos.

On November 15 last year, two days before Plank boarded a United Airlines flight out of Sydney for Los Angeles, US authorities received "a call from a confidential informant" indicating Plank would be "smuggling lizards", US prosecutors allege.

When Plank's plane landed in LA a Customs officer performed a pat-down search on Plank and allegedly found two money belts containing 15 live lizards strapped to his chest.

Plank's lawyer, Larry Bakman, called on US District Court judge Otis D. Wright to suppress evidence derived from the pat-down search, claiming the search was "unsupported by reasonable suspicion". Mr Bakman also asked for an order disclosing the identity of the informant.

Judge Wright denied both motions, but left open the possibility of compelling the disclosure of the informant's identity if Plank can "present new evidence".

Plank has entered a not guilty plea to the smuggling charge and a jury trial is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles on July 27.

Go to Original Article_


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## discountreptile (Jul 7, 2011)

lambert!!

Read the ramsayi thread.


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## Defective (Jul 7, 2011)

ahh thanks my bad the mouse has decided not to scroll properly :/ ....i need a new keyboard as well! no money


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## $NaKe PiMp (Jul 7, 2011)

Lambert said:


> ahh thanks my bad the mouse has decided not to scroll properly :/ ....i need a new keyboard as well! no money



need money? well there in need of lizards in america all you need to do is strap them to your body and fly there,
you will make $23,000

lol


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## Defective (Jul 7, 2011)

ROFLMAO!!! even though the lizards in the US are 1000 times better


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## GeckoJosh (Jul 7, 2011)

Lambert said:


> ROFLMAO!!! even though the lizards in the US are 1000 times better


Not from where im sitting!!!


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## Waterrat (Jul 7, 2011)

$NaKe PiMp said:


> need money? well there in need of lizards in america all you need to do is strap them to your body and fly there,
> you will make $23,000
> 
> lol



Don't bother buying a return ticket.


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## Wally (Jul 7, 2011)

Goldmember said:


> Not from where im sitting!!!



Me neither.


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## yvbull (Jul 21, 2011)

Lizard Smuggler Gets 15 Months Behind Bars After Being Caught At LAX 


(CNS) Updated Wednesday July 6, 2011 – 2:40pm
A Lomita man was sentenced today to 15 months behind bars for attempting to smuggle 15 live lizards from Australia through customs at Los Angeles International Airport by strapping the reptiles to his chest.

Michael J. Plank, 42, the owner and operator of a Lomita company dealing in reptiles, pleaded guilty a year ago in Los Angeles federal court to a charge of smuggling wildlife into the United States.

Plank said he was driven by love of the reptiles rather than the $23,500 he could have earned by selling the prohibited lizards to other collectors.

"Since the first lizard I caught as a child ... I've had an affection for these reptiles," Plank said, adding that his passion for the creatures "has led me to where I am."

Along with the prison term, U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II ordered Plank to pay a $2,000 fine and serve three years under supervised release after he is released from federal custody.

"By doing what he's doing, he may very well be endangering the environment and these animals," Wright said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Plank was returning from Australia in November 2009 when U.S. Customs agents found two geckos, two monitor lizards and 11 skinks stuffed into a money belt he was wearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Mitchell said the skinks were pregnant and seven offspring have subsequently been born. 

The confiscated reptiles are at the San Diego Zoo.

All Australian reptiles are strictly regulated, and Plank did not have a permit for the lizards.

In arguing for probation, defense attorney Larry M. Bakman said Plank suffered from an obsessive-compulsive disorder that led to the smuggling attempt and fueled his deeply rooted interest in the reptile trade.

"You have to understand how obsessive these people are ... they're in another category," Bakman said. "They are obsessive-compulsive addicts ... (some) have mortgaged their homes to get in on a project involving albino boas."

Wright rejected the argument for a sentence of home detention, saying he would not allow the defendant to "stay home for a while and watch Oprah."

Wright said Plank made a dozen trips to Australia over three years, ostensibly to "capture these things in the wild' and smuggle the reptiles into the United States.

During an interview with investigators, Plank admitted smuggling lizards twice before using the money belt, according to court papers.[SIZE=+0]

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## fugawi (Jul 21, 2011)

I certainly hope he has had his passport permanently taken and our authorities will never allow him back to Australia.


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## D3pro (Jul 21, 2011)

Sucks to be the person in question


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## mad_at_arms (Jul 21, 2011)

Least the little guys have ended up at the zoo.


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