23 illegally transported parrots seized
Brownsville, TX (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Jan 1, 1998
County: Cameron

Charges: Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Cheryl Zeisman
» Charles Zeisman

Federal authorities say Charles and Cheryl Zeisman accepted 23 illegally transported parrots. Federal authorities have accused a couple from O'Fallon, MO., of receiving illegally transported parrots through an animal smuggling scheme.

Named in indictments in Houston are CHARLES ZEISMAN, 56 and CHERYL ZEISMAN, 43 of Briarpatch Court in O'Fallon. JOE MAGLIOLO, an assistant U.S. Attorney in Houston, said the ZEISMANS are accused of accepting 23 smuggled parrots from January 1990 until this year. They are among 40 people arrested or indicted in a crackdown on wild animal smuggling, officials said.

Reached at his home, CHARLES ZEISMAN said,``We are not sure what is going on yet. I have no comment.'' The ZEISMANS are accused of conspiring to violate an international treaty that governs the sale of exotic and endangered animals. MAGLIOLO said the ZEISMANS had gone to Brownsville,Texas, near the Mexican border, to pick up smuggled birds. Federal spokesmen said the ZEISMANS operated their business from their home.MAGLIOLO said they had received nine yellow­headed Amazon parrots and 14 Mexican redheaded Amazon parrots.

References

• St. Louis Post Dispatch via FWOA - 1998

« TX State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Cameron County, TX

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.