Brooklyn Man Sold Exotic Animal Body Parts To Undercover Officer: DA

BROOKLYN, NY – A Borough Park man has pleaded guilty to violating New York State Environmental Conservation law after he sold a cougar head to an undercover officer back in 2023, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Thursday.

Usher Weiss, 26, pled guilty Thursday in front of Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Dale Fong-Frederick, prosecutors said.

Weiss is ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and under the plea agreement was forced to relinquish any other prohibited wild animal parts, according to prosecutors.

“We’re committed to stopping the illegal wildlife trade in our communities, and by prosecuting cases like this, we're not just enforcing the law—we're sending a strong message that protecting endangered species from harm is a priority, District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “I appreciate our strong partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the hard work of our prosecutors in securing this conviction.”

On Nov. 2, 2023, an undercover investigator for the NYS DEC met Weiss at a building on 49th Street in Borough Park, prosecutors said.

In the basement of the building, the investigator gave Weiss $900 in exchange for a cougar head mount. Weiss then offered the investigator a full cheetah head mount for $10,000, prosecutors said.

The following month, on Dec. 5, the investigator met with Weiss again. This time, the 26-year-old man gave the undercover investigator a cheetah head mount, the skull of a big cat, the skin of a seal pup and a bird mount, prosecutors said.

In addition, Weiss had several other illegal items in his possession in violation of the state’s environmental conservation laws, including a full alligator taxidermy, a tiger skin, a cheetah skin and an elephant foot, prosecutors said.

Weiss had bought the items on Craigslist and OfferUp, according to prosecutors.