This story is pretty wild when you consider that this mom has gotten into it with the law before.

A Texas mom once arrested for housing three tigers and several “vicious” monkeys under the same roof as her teenage daughter is now facing federal charges after allegedly brokering the sale of an endangered jaguar cub and she's on the run from law enforcement.

40 Year Old Tricia Meyer Got In Trouble For This Before...

According to The Daily Beast, Meyer was arrested in 2016 for child endangerment after cops found three tigers, a cougar, a skunk, and a fox at home with her 14-year-old daughter. There were also several monkeys in the home, which had attacked people before, Meyer reportedly told police. After taking a plea deal to a theft charge she received a deferred sentence and didn’t have to serve any jail time. She remained defiant after the case which probably explains why she's in hot water again.

 

Now She's Back In Trouble With Law Enforcement After A Recent Indictment.

According to The Justice Department, Meyer was charged in a four-count indictment with interstate transportation of an endangered species in the course of commercial activity, interstate sale of an endangered species, trafficking prohibited wildlife species, and trafficking endangered species. What did she do this time?

She Allegedly Illegally Sold A Live Jaguar Cub For Approximately $30,000 To A California Man After Posting About On Instagram.

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According to the indictment, Meyer sold 34 year old Abdul Rahman a live jaguar cub in spring 2021. Prior to the sale, Meyer posted on Instagram photographs and videos of herself with the cub, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in this case. The cub’s sale price was approximately $30,000 and the animal was transported, for an additional $1,000 fee, from Texas to California.

The Person Who Brought The Cub Later Re-Sold It.

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Rahman owned the jaguar for one to two months before selling it for $20,000 to another buyer. The new "owner" lived in a house with a pregnant wife or girlfriend and later decided to allow the animal to be taken to a rescue center after someone expressed concerns about having a juvenile jaguar and a newborn infant in the same house, the affidavit states.

The Cub Was Dropped Off At A Animal Rescue Shelter

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The person who expressed concerns about the jaguar later told law enforcement that he and his roommate put the jaguar in a large dog kennel and drove it to an animal rescue center in Alpine, California. They dropped off the jaguar at the facility’s entrance on September 17, 2021, at approximately 9:50 p.m. The event was captured on security cameras and law enforcement was notified. The jaguar remains at the animal sanctuary in Alpine.

Local and federal law enforcement agents in Houston are currently searching for Meyer.



 

Rahman was also indicted on the same federal charges as Meyer. The criminal charges against Meyer and Rahman also allege violations of the Endangered Species Act, under which jaguars are protected, and the Lacey Act, which prohibits wildlife trafficking. Rahman will be summonsed to appear in United States District Court in California on November 9. As for Meyer, authorities are still searching for her.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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If convicted of all charges, Meyers would face a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison and a $700,000 fine. Rahman would face a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a $600,000 fine.

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