Discovery Channel star and business partner charged with trafficking in endangered poisonous snakes



One of the stars of Discovery Channel's show Swamp Brothers and his business partner have been charged on Tuesday with illegally trafficking in threatened and endangered snakes, according to federal officials.

Robroy MacInnes, 54, and 47-year-old Robert Keszey, of Florida, were indicted along with their business, Glades Herp Farm, on two counts of conspiring to traffic in endangered and threatened reptiles.

MacInnes and Glades Herp Farm also have been charged with trafficking in protected Eastern timber rattlesnakes in violation of the Lacey Act.



Busted: Robroy MacInnes, left, and his partner Robert Keszey, right, were indicted on multiple counts of conspiring to traffic in threatened, endangered or protected snake species



Reality star: Keszey, center, is featured on the Discovery Channel show Swamp Brothers about a Florida venomous snake farm

Serpentine siblings: Keszey, right, and his brother, left, run the 40-acre Glades Herp Farm in the town of Bushnell with MacInnes

According to the indictment cited by the Courthouse News Service , between 2007 and 2008, MacInnes and Keszey, who stars in Swamp Brothers, collected protected snakes from the wild in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, bought Eastern timber rattlesnakes that had been illegally collected from the wild, and transported threatened Eastern indigo snakes from Florida to Pennsylvania.

The two business partners are also accused of purchasing illegal Eastern timber rattlesnakes and having them transported to Florida.

The species is endangered in New Jersey and threatened in New York, and it is illegal to possess Pennsylvania without a permit. The Eastern indigo snake is the longest snake native to North America. It can grow up to nine feet.



If convicted of violating the Lacey Act, MacInnes and Keszey could face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

In 2007, Keszey allegedly traveled to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, and picked up a pair of Eastern timber rattlesnakes from the wild

The poisonous reptiles were flown to Tampa on commercial planes from Philadelphia International Airport, and were later sold for up to $350 each on the farm, prosecutors said, according to Philly.com .

Cold-blooded commodity: MacInnes and Keszey are accused of trafficking in Eastern timber rattlesnakes (pictured) that had been illegally collected from the wild

Royal reptile: The two business partners have been charged with picking up king snakes in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey

Scaly plot: As part of the scheme, the suspects' alleged co-conspirator was tasked with breeding Eastern indigo snakes for the purpose of selling the offspring

According to federal officials, MacInnes and Keszey worked with an unnamed man from Sellersville, Pennsylvania, who helped them collect two Eastern timber rattlesnakes in the Lehigh Valley and king snakes in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey, UPI reported.

The suspected co-conspirator of the Florida business partners also allegedly agreed to breed two Eastern indigo snakes collected without a permit in New York and to buy two adult and 15 young rattlesnakes in exchange for am $900 store credit, NBC2 said.

