Cat’s out of the bag.
A Brooklyn man was arrested for selling a taxidermied cougar head and other exotic animal parts to an undercover police officer, violating wildlife conservation laws.
Usher Weiss, 26, pleaded guilty to selling the cougar head for $900 in Borough Park on November 2.
During the transaction, Weiss also offered a cheetah head for $10,000 and later brought it to a second sale along with a taxidermied bird and seal on December 5.
After his arrest, Weiss surrendered several other illegal animal parts he had purchased online, including an elephant foot, a full alligator, and a tiger skin.
Authorities stated that Weiss bought the exotic trophies on websites like Craigslist and OfferUp and handed them over to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in April.
Weiss was fined $5,000 and required to surrender additional animal parts as part of his plea agreement.
His lawyer, Cary London, stated that Weiss was a collector who got carried away and is relieved to have the matter resolved.
Weiss pleaded guilty to violating state environmental conservation laws in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
-Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory
