Florida ‘Monkey Whisperer’ sentenced for trafficking primates
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man widely known as “the Monkey Whisperer” was sentenced for illegally transporting and selling primates, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Jimmy Wayne Hammonds, 58, of Parrish, who is also known as “the Monkey Whisperer,” was sentenced to five years’ probation for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and violating the Endangered Species Act.
Authorities said Hammonds owned and operated The Monkey Whisperer, LLC, a business that bred and sold wildlife.
For several months in 2017 and 2018, authorities said Hammonds conspired to sell a capuchin monkey to a celebrity in California who was willing to pay $12,000 for the primate. The buyer was not...
