Community Bulletin
Women's health care is available close to home at four central West Virginia clinics through Vandalia Health — the not-for-profit founded by the Davis family more than a century ago, whose Foundation still funds local scholarships and programs. Read more →
This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners
Michael Kandis, age 64, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to wildlife trafficking in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Kandis is a reptile dealer and operates a reptile house in Wheeling. During a covert investigation of reptile shows in the Midwest, Kandis illegally purchased snakes, dozens of which were bullsnakes. Bullsnakes are native to Indiana, where their sale is illegal under state law. Kandis then transported the snakes to West Virginia and sold them.
The Lacey Act prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States.
Kandis faces up to one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 or twice the gain or loss of the crime. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maximillian Nogay and Trial Attorney Lauren D. Steele, Environmental Crimes Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources investigated. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
