Las Vegas man gets probation for trafficking endangered tortoise

A Las Vegas man was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to trafficking an endangered Galapagos tortoise in Florida.

Alan Wheelock, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court to giving his cousin and co-defendant, Mauricio Perez, $4,500 to purchase a young tortoise from a Florida breeder and ship it to Las Vegas, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office in Florida.

Along with probation, Wheelock was sentenced to 120 days of house arrest, fined $7,000 and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

Charges against Perez were dismissed because he died shortly after he and Wheelock were indicted.

The pair were found out after a K-9 unit with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discovered the baby tortoise inside a parcel at at a Miami FedEx store. The package was shipped to a Las Vegas FedEx location, where Fish and Wildlife agents watched Wheelock pick it up.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.