NY Man Pleads Guilty to Shark Trafficking for Pool Full of Sharks in His Backyard

Joshua Seguine had seven sandbar sharks, possession of which is restricted in New York, authorities said

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A New York man pleaded guilty to illegally keeping protected sharks in a pool at his Dutchess County home and selling them over the Internet, the state attorney general's office said Wednesday.

Joshua Seguine, 40, of LaGrangeville, pleaded guilty to illegal commercialization for having and intending to sell seven sandbar sharks, the AG's office said in a statement.

According to the state, Seguine was arrested in Georgia in July 2017 after being found with five sharks in a tank in the back of his truck. He told investigators he had more sharks at his home in New York.

The Department of Environmental Conservation and marine biologists searched Seguine's home and found the seven live sharks, as well as three dead sharks and the snout of another endangered fish.

The live sharks were ultimately moved to the New York Aquarium at Coney Island.

Seguine received a $5,000 fine and a conditional discharge.

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