Riverside County man charged with wildlife trafficking after selling jaguar cub
A Riverside County man and a Texas woman were federally indicted on Wednesday after they were found to have sold a live jaguar cub on separate occasions.
The woman, Houston resident Trisha "Mimi" Denise Meyer, 40, was "charged in a four-count indictment for 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," according to the United States Department of Justice.
She is said to have sold the live jaguar cub to a Murrieta man, Abdul "Manny" Rahman, 34, for approximately $30,000 in spring 2021. According to an affidavit filmed along with a criminal complaint in the case, Meyer had posted several photographs and videos of herself and the jaguar, of the Panthera Onca species, on Instagram.
Rahman was also federally charged with interstate transportation of an endangered species in the course of commercial activity, trafficking prohibited wildlife species and trafficking endangered species.
After owning the cub for a short amount of time, he then sold it to another buyer for $20,000. According to a release from the DOJ, the buyer also had a pregnant partner. After an unknown party expressed concerns, the individual, only referred to as "H.G." agreed to have the animal taken to the rescue center.
The same unknown party who expressed concerns over "H.G"'s ownership of the young jaguar, referred to as "R.A.," told law enforcement that he and a roommate "put the jaguar in a large dog kennel and drove it to an animal rescue center in Alpine," on Sept. 17 at around 10 p.m.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching for Meyer, while Rahman is slated to appear in court on Nov. 9. Additionally, investigators with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are also investigating the incident.
If convicted of all charges, Meyers faces up to eight years in federal prison and a $700,000 fine, while Rahman faces up to seven years and a $600,000 fine.
The jaguar remains at the animal sanctuary.
