MADISON, WIS. – A Cuban citizen living in Madison, Wisconsin is charged with 3 counts of violating the Migratory Bird Trafficking Act in an indictment returned on October 12, 2022, by a federal grand jury sitting in Madison. The indictment is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
Jorge Luis Iglesias, 60, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Madison yesterday and was detained in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for tomorrow, November 17, at 9:00 a.m.
The indictment charges Iglesias with 3 counts of selling migratory birds, specifically Yellow-faced Grassquits, in violation of federal law. The indictment alleges that he sold the birds on April 21, May 5, and December 29, 2020.
If convicted, Iglesias faces a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison on each count. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Graber is handling the prosecution.
You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.