A Brooklyn man pleaded guilty after he sold exotic animal parts, including a mounted cougar head, to an undercover officer, according to the district attorney's office.
An investigation found that Usher Weiss unknowingly met with the undercover officer on Nov. 2, 2023, around 8:15 p.m. at a building on 49th Street in Borough Park. In the basement of the building, the undercover officer with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) gave the 26-year-old Weiss $900 in exchange for a cougar mount head, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
Immediately after, Weiss then offered up a cheetah head mount for $10,000, the DA said.
About a month later, on Dec. 5, the same undercover officer met with Weiss in another building in Borough Park, this time on 53rd Street. That's where Weiss handed over a cheetah head mount, plus the skull of a big cat, the skin of a pinniped pup, and a bird mount, according to the investigation.
Weiss also had other illegal items on him at the time as well, including a taxidermized full alligator, a tiger skin, a cheetah skin and an elephant foot, the DA's office said. He claimed to have purchased each of the items on sites like Craigslist and OfferUp, and handed over each of the items to the DEC in April.
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Weiss pleaded guilty on Thursday to violating environmental conservation laws. He was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and surrender all other illicit items he had in his possession.
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"We’re committed to stopping the illegal wildlife trade in our communities, and by prosecuting cases like this, we're not just enforcing the law—we're sending a strong message that protecting endangered species from harm is a priority," said Gonzalez.
