As a young student, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Monique Sosnowski, PhD, was always “very interested in human interactions with the natural world,” she said. “But, I didn't really know what that was going to turn into.”

Staying true to her passion, she soon found a research internship working with cheetahs in Namibia, where she “got into the nitty-gritty of the illegal wildlife trade…and started getting exposed to the poaching crisis across Africa.”

Now with nearly a decade of professional, hands-on experience in environmental protection, Sosnowski holds an MSc in global wildlife health and conservation from the University of Bristol, and a PhD in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Sosnowski, who joined FSC’s faculty in 2023, is proud to continue her extensive research on wildlife crime and prevention at the College. 

“Wildlife trafficking is argued to be the fourth most profitable illegal enterprise in the world,” said Sosnowski. “It is only really behind illegal trafficking in narcotics, counterfeits and arms, and humans.”

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, transnational wildlife trafficking has an estimated annual value of up to $20 billion and is contributing to alarming biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and the extinction of endangered species across the globe. 

However, despite its worldwide prevalence and negative environmental impacts, “the chance of actually getting caught and prosecuted for environmental or wildlife crimes is extraordinarily low,” said Sosnowski, who noted lack of awareness among border patrol personnel and the general population. “And many times, once prosecuted, people are getting off with very minimal legal sentencing outcomes,” she added. “Among the federal prosecutions I’ve studied, even ‘big-ticket’ cases, the average jail sentence was zero months with a small fine—essentially, a slap on the wrist.”

To help fill this enormous gap, Sosnowski and 2025 FSC graduate Ashley Campanelli have researched hundreds of federal court records “pulling out every single case that has to do with wildlife crime and analyzing what species were involved, how long the case took, all of these different details and, importantly, what the punishments were,” to create a revolutionary database that can be used as a beacon for future cases.

“This has become a huge passion of mine,” said Campanelli, who now plans to attend graduate school for forensic psychology. “My experience has been fantastic and very rewarding. It is so cool to see all the research and hard work come together into something that can guide government policy.”

Sosnowski also works with Robert Dolgos, ’26, a criminal justice: law enforcement technology major, to expand the database into environmental crimes, particularly corporate environmental crimes, including oil pollution, illegal dumping, and the unauthorized disposal of chemicals.

“This experience has helped me more than I thought anything ever would,” said Dolgos. “I have enjoyed learning how to write like a scholar. And the thing I appreciate the most is Professor Sosnowski has tailored my research experience to best help my future career. I want to attend law school after I get my degree here at Farmingdale State College, and getting set up for my future has been incredible. I am so appreciative of Professor Sosnowski for giving me this opportunity.”

Sosnowski, who was recently honored with the Society for Conservation Biology Early Career Conservationist Award, looks forward to seeing what Campanelli, Dolgos, and their work together, will accomplish. 

“It's so heartwarming to see that they have a genuine interest in this and these types of cases,” she said. “I think of the lasting impact they will have in their careers. This field is pretty new, and constantly changing year to year. So it is critical to increase awareness and knowledge around these crimes because they've been historically understudied. Our research shows the seriousness of these crimes and the fact that they are intertwined with so many other serious crimes. And while there's no world in which crime doesn't exist, it’s essential that we do our best to prevent crime as much as possible.”

“I truly believe this research and Professor Sosnowski have changed the trajectory of my life and career,” said Campanelli. “I couldn't be more grateful for Farmingdale and Professor Sosnowski.”

For more information, please visit the Center for Criminal Justice Studies webpage.

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