6th Person Convicted Of FL Migratory Bird Trafficking: U.S. DOJ

TAMPA BAY, FL — A Brandon man is the latest person convicted in a migratory bird trafficking operation, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Ernesto Gonzalez Campos, 36, was convicted as part of “Operation Ornery Birds II” of three counts of trafficking migratory birds.

Court documents and evidence presented at trial showed that Campos engaged in the ongoing capture, sale and trade of protected migratory songbirds, the DOJ said.

On at least three occasions in 2020 and 2021, he sold and traded indigo buntings, painted buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks and blue grosbeaks, all of which are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Campos trapped the birds from the wild, and once they were tamed, was able to sell them within the songbird community, the agency said.

Five other defendants have already been sentenced in the statewide investigation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

• Jorge Luis Mena Graveram Sr., 59, of St. Petersburg was sentenced on Aug. 8 to time served, one year of supervised release and a $200 fine.
• Eliernesto Baez Garcia, 29, of St. Petersburg was sentenced on Aug. 14 to time served, one year of supervised release and a $200 fine.
• Ariam Rodriguez Diaz, 32, of Ocala was sentenced on Aug. 18 to one year of probation and a $1,000 fine.
• Jorge Alberto Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 57, of Tampa was sentenced on Sept. 6 to one year of probation and a $1,000 fine.
• Adrian Michel Ortega Rodriguez, 42, of Tampa was sentenced on Sept. 11 to one year of probation and a $500 fine.

All five pleaded guilty, admitting to buying, selling or bartering a variety of MBTA-protected birds, all highly prized for their colorful plumage and singing abilities, the DOJ said.

The defendants acquired the protected wildlife through a variety of means, including using baited bird traps; the barter, purchase and sale of specimens among like-minded individuals in person; and internet sales sites frequented by traffickers.