Wei Qiang Lin, a Chinese national living in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in a New York federal court on 12 August to attempting to export roughly 850 protected eastern box and three-toed box turtles to Hong Kong. Prosecutors said the reptiles, valued at about $1.4 million, were discovered during a border inspection bound in knotted socks and packed inside boxes falsely labeled as containing "plastic animal toys." Court filings show Lin mailed more than 220 parcels between August 2023 and November 2024. In addition to the turtles—species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species—investigators recovered 11 parcels that contained other reptiles, including venomous snakes. Lin faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. U.S. District Judge scheduled sentencing for 23 December 2025, and Lin has agreed to forfeit any interest in the seized animals.