Former Reporter Sentenced To Prison In Turtle Trafficking Case

A former reporter who works as a courier for a local law firm was sentenced Thursday for trafficking protected terrapins.

David Sommers, 64, of Middletown’s Levittown section, learned his fate Thursday morning at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody six months imprisonment, three years’ supervised release including six months’ home detention, and $250,000 restitution.

In February, Sommers struck a deal with federal prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one felony count of violating the Lacey Act and agreed to forfeit nearly 3,500 diamondback terrapin hatchlings.

“Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are a semi-aquatic species of turtle native to brackish waters in eastern and southern United States. They are not found in the wild in Pennsylvania, where Sommers resided, but have a dwindling habitat range in neighboring New Jersey. The terrapins are prized in the reptile pet trade for their unique, diamond-shaped shell markings. The turtles are protected under New Jersey law and by an international treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement earlier this year.

In federal court documents, authorities outlined the case that Sommers had gathered terrapins and sold them for years. They noted that he was eventually selling 1,000 diamondback terrapin turtles per year and bringing in $50,000 and $75,000.

After looking at financial records, investigators determined that Sommers earned $530,341 from selling diamondback terrapins between 2011 to 2017.

The market value of the terrapins that were sold by Sommers was $565,000 to $958,000, prosecutors said.

If the case went to trial, prosecutors were prepared to present testimony from enforcement officials from the U.S. and Canada, record keepers for an electronic payment company, a number of banks, delivery service officials, a GPS tracking company, and an expert herpetologist.

“The defendant had a simple business plan: poach protected turtles and their eggs from their natural habitat, advertise them for sale online and then illegally ship them to customers by concealing the actual contents of the packages,” said U.S. Attorney William McSwain.  “Sommers represented himself as a legitimate reptile breeder, when he was in fact endangering the lives of these animals and breaking the law.  Thanks to our partners at the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Postal Inspection Service, this defendant will be held responsible for his actions.”

Sommers’ terrapin trafficking scheme began to fall apart when a Canadian official intercepted a FedEx package Sommers was shipping from Levittown to Saskatchewan. The package was labeled as a book valued at $10, but officials found 11 live diamondback terrapin hatchlings concealed in two small pouches, authorities said.

Canadian officials informed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents about the incident and a probe was launched.

Officials said Sommers advertised his terrapin sales business online and claimed all of his terrapins were captive raised.

“He primarily shipped the turtles in unmarked packages through the U.S. Postal Service and occasionally by Federal Express. He shipped them in an inhumane manner, wrapping them in socks or pouches and taping their legs to restrict movement,” authorities wrote in a plea deal memo.

Starting in 2017, undercover agents across the country caught on to Sommers selling terrapins online and placed GPS tracking devices on his two vehicles. He was spotted by law enforcement and tracked by GPS to the marshy coast of New Jersey, authorities said.

In 2017, investigators executed a search warrant at Sommers’ Levittown home and found 3,442 diamondback terrapin hatchlings and 23 box turtles. They also found packaging and labels consistent with shipping turtles, authorities said.

In the past, Sommers had made a career as a journalist for the Bucks County Courier Times and infamous tabloid The Trentonian. He launched the ahead-of-its-time online Bucks News Network. Between 2013 and 2014, Sommers wrote about a dozen articles that were published on LevittownNow.com.

Sommers has worked with Republican candidates in Bucks County as they campaigned for office since leaving journalism. He often was seen with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and then-Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick at community events.

Editor’s Note: This story has been clarified to the type of turtle.