Missouri Man Sentenced For Wildlife Trafficking

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Rex Dale Rains II, 54, of Maryland Heights, Missouri, was sentenced on two counts of Wildlife Trafficking and two counts of False Labelling under the Lacey Act. For each of these misdemeanors, the United States District Court in East Saint Louis sentenced Rains to serve 24 months of probation. The district court ordered Rains to pay a $500 fine and a $100 special assessment. The district court also ordered Rains to pay restitution of $3,000 each to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Lacey Act Reward Account and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Conservation Police Operations Assistance Fund, totaling $6,000. Rains must also pay $3,120 for the Collateral Forfeiture of the tilapia and he will forfeit the payment he received for the illegal transaction of $1,325. In all, Rains will owe $11,040 for committing the offenses.

Court records indicate that on June 12, 2012, and June 22, 2013, Rains illegally transported and sold blue tilapia which he obtained from out of Illinois. He also falsely labelled the blue tilapia as blue gill.

Tilapia, a non-native fish from tropical and subtropical Africa and the Middle East, have caused significant damage to the native ecosystems in which they have been released. The blue tilapia is considered a competitor with native species for spawning areas, food and space. In water in which the species is abundant, there has been a significant loss of vegetation and nearly all native fishes.

The case was investigated by the Special Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Conservation Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William E. Coonan.