The state Game Commission has had enough of John A. Poliandro's monkey business.
The Lakeville man was found guilty of illegal importation of game or wildlife and possession of a Capuchin monkey during a summary trial on April 12, according to court documents.
According to a statement by the Game Commission, Mr. Poliandro, 49, purchased the monkey for just under $10,000 from Cheryl's Primates in Chillicothe, Mo. The monkey was transported illegally into Pennsylvania, Wayne County Wildlife Conservation Officer James McCarthy said.
Cheryl Ullrich pleaded guilty to illegal importation of game or wildlife.
In the 20 years Tim Conway has been working with the state Game Commission, he's seen at least a dozen monkeys imported illegally.
People typically try to buy monkeys in states that do not have as many legal hurdles to obtain a monkey, then try to smuggle them into Pennsylvania. Here, a long legal process precedes a permit that is typically only approved for groups like the Helping Hands Society, said Mr. Conway, a supervisor at the commission's northeast regional office in Dallas.
The monkey was taken to T&D's Cats of the World, a Snyder County refuge specializing in exotic animals.
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