Online butterfly vendor Charles Limmer spent years illegally trafficking rare butterflies and insects from his home in Commack, New York. His activities caught the attention of our Office of Law Enforcement, who advised Limmer that his business activities were illegal due to lacking the necessary permits. Limmer carried on, illegally importing rare and endangered butterflies and other insects which he sold on eBay, Etsy and other online marketplaces. In October 2023, Limmer鈥檚 trafficking ultimately netted him federal charges under the Lacey Act, conspiracy and smuggling laws. He plead guilty to conspiracy to smuggle wildlife in February 2024.
The investigation revealed that Limmer amassed thousands of collected insects for sale, including more than 2,400 birdwing butterflies, a butterfly from the Solomon Islands that is classified as endangered and protected from sale without specific permits which Limmer did not have. On April 3, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York, Limmer was sentenced to two years of home confinement, the payment of a fine of $5,500, in addition to the forfeiture of more than 17,000 butterflies and other insects and $30,000 in illegal proceeds from his smuggling and sales crimes. Limmer鈥檚 inventory, forfeited to the government, was valued at more than $200,000.
To acquire his insect inventory, Limmer directed his overseas co-conspirators to falsely label imported insect and butterfly shipments as decorative wall coverings, origami paper craft and wall decorations. Knowing that some of his parcels could be inspected by bet365下载ios wildlife inspectors, Limmer stated to one co-conspirator, 鈥淪crew USbet365下载ios.鈥
Federal law and regulations require that commercial importers and exporters of wildlife have a license and declare wildlife to the bet365下载ios. Limmer was no stranger to this process as he been importing, exporting, purchasing and selling wildlife, including protected species of butterflies, since 2016. Limmer鈥檚 license was suspended due to non-compliance in reporting in October 2022, yet he continued his illegal conduct.
We express gratitude to the Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Sherman, the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at John F. Kennedy International Airport and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Trade Intelligence Enforcement Response Team, along with scores of wildlife inspectors throughout the nation who played a significant role in the investigation in bringing Limmer to justice.
