Federal prosecutors say a 50-year-old Fairport man has pleaded guilty to four violations of the Lacey Act, banning the interstate transport or receipt of illegally taken wildlife.
They say Michael Collalto has been sentenced to four years probation, 300 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine by U.S. District Court in Rochester.
Acting U.S. Attorney James Kennedy, Jr. says Collalto is a reptile enthusiast and collector who had a collection of rare snakes in his home. He would buy, trade, or sell snakes collected in the wild to improve his collection, but that put him in violation of federal wildlife protection laws. Prosecutors say he received snakes illegally collected in New Jersey and in Oregon and shipped across state lines.