Overview
- Federal prosecutors announced Friday that Daly City resident Donald Do was arrested and charged under the Lacey Act for an alleged turtle‑export scheme.
- The indictment says that between December 2022 and May 2024 he and a partner tried to send 292 loggerhead musk turtles to Taiwan using a permit secured with a false claim that the animals were captive‑bred, a status required since CITES protections took effect in November 2022.
- Investigators say he bought wild‑caught turtles from Florida and other states, told sellers he wanted "wild caught," and directed shipments to San Francisco.
- Prosecutors also link the plot to Louisiana seller Albert Bazaar, detained earlier this month in Phoenix, from whom the pair allegedly sought more than 200 turtles.
- Do pleaded not guilty on May 13 and now faces a May 21 bond hearing and a July 31 status conference, with a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count if convicted.