‘The Monkey Whisperer’: Florida man arrested for illegal trading of exotic animals, fined $60,000

A Florida man who called himself “The Monkey Whisperer” has been sent to prison after continuing to traffic exotic animals even while on probation for the same crime, US prosecutors have said.62-year-old Jimmy Wayne Hammonds from Parrish was sentenced to nine months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. He had pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025, to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act, a federal law that bans illegal wildlife trade.Hammonds ran a business called The Monkey Whisperer, LLC and specialised in selling primates and other exotic animals. Authorities said he continued operating the business despite already being on federal probation for similar offences.According to court documents, Hammonds made contact with an undercover agent through his business’s social media account. “At Hammonds’s request, the conversations moved to an encrypted texting app to discuss potential wildlife sales. Hammonds agreed to sell the undercover agent two common marmosets for $7,400.” He also arranged for the deal to take place in Georgia in an attempt to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.Prosecutors said the case led to the surrender of 67 animals owned by Hammonds. These included several primate species as well as muntjac deer, lemurs, kangaroos, wallabies and otters.In addition to his prison sentence, a federal judge ordered Hammonds to pay a $60,000 fine to benefit the Lacey Act Reward Fund, which supports whistleblowers who report wildlife trafficking. He has also been banned from “possessing, breeding, selling, transporting, or exhibiting any wildlife”.Hammonds is also due to face a violation of probation hearing on April 2, 2026.