NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Federal authorities say a New Jersey man illegally imported scorpions, giant millipedes and other invertebrates, some of which escaped inside a postal delivery truck.
Wlodzimie Lapkiewicz has been charged with one count of smuggling wildlife and one count of false labelling of wildlife. The 29-year-old appeared Thursday before a judge in Newark federal court and was released on bond.
In July 2015, a group of live scorpions and millipedes escaped from an international express mail parcel originating in Tanzania and addressed to Lapkiewicz at his home in Metuchen, New Jersey.
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A postal inspector gave Lapkiewicz a warning, but prosecutors say he continued to order live insects and invertebrates without proper permits, through June of this year. They allege he was selling the creatures via a Facebook page.
His lawyer says he can’t comment.
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