A Pittsburgh man was indicted on charges of trafficking in endangered Asian arowana and invasive snakehead fish.
Anthony Nguyen, 48, was indicted on three counts.
Nguyen, who also goes by the names JoJo Nguyen and Jackie Lee, ran a business in Pittsburgh that specialized in rare and exotic freshwater tropical fish.
Accoridng to the indictment, Nguyen violated the Lacey Act in 2016 by selling Asian arowana, which was illegally imported. These fish are among the most expensive on earth and can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
The Lacey Act is a law that bans trafficking illegal wildlife.
Nguyen also violated the act in 2019 with the sale of snakehead fish, according to the indictment document.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jonathan D. Brightbill for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said there's a reason snakehead fish are prohibited. "They are voracious predators, can live out of water for days, can move across land, and can wipe out the native species that inhabit freshwaters of the United States."
"The illegal trafficking of endangered and invasive wildlife represents a serious threat to our critical ecosystems," said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady of the Western District of Pennsylvania.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission assisted in the investigation.