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BEAUFORT, S.C. — A resident of Beaufort has admitted guilt in connection with the unlawful importation of a green sea turtle’s head.

John Trask III has acknowledged a misdemeanor infraction of the Lacey Act, confessing to the illegal import of a green sea turtle head in a plea deal signed on December 1.

The Lacey Act, originally established in 1900 and updated in 2008, aims to curb the trafficking of unlawfully obtained wildlife, fish, and plants. All trade of sea turtle species, including their parts, is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Legal documents reveal that Trask knowingly imported or exported the head of a green sea turtle around September 30, 2023.

“…the Defendant, JOHN TRASKT III, should have known that said sea turtle was taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of, and in a manner unlawful under, any law, regulation, and treaty of the United States, specifically the Endangered Species Act,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle Klein said in a filing.

In accordance with the plea agreement, Trask has to surrender a sea turtle head mount and six “Turkish items” that law enforcement recovered on Sept. 16, court documents said.

Prosectors and the defense agreed that as long as he complies with the terms of the agreement, Trask will be placed on probation for a year and have to pay a $10,000 fine.

The general penalty for a violation of the Lacey Act is up to a year in prison, up to a $100,000 fine for individuals and up to five years on probation, officials reported.

You can view his plea agreement here: