Dr. Monique Sosnowski

The Trafficker, the Shipment, and the Sentence: Inside America's Wildlife Crime Cases

Wildlife and environmental crime are one of the largest illicit economies on the planet – and one of the least visible. From a "Tiger King" celebrity laundering half a million dollars behind a conservation charity, to 850 live turtles smuggled overseas in socks and labeled "plastic toys," these cases reveal a sprawling, profitable trade hiding in plain sight. But how much of it ever reaches a courtroom, and what happens when it does?

Drawing on original research that transforms thousands of overlooked federal court records into hard data, this talk follows wildlife crime from the trafficker to the shipment to the sentence – exposing how the trade works, why so much of it goes uncounted, and where the justice system succeeds and falls short. Join us for a revealing look at the crimes against nature unfolding in America's own backyard, and what we can do about them.

Back to Lecturers