Clemente DiMuro, "Feather Man," Killed Anhingas for Their Plumes, Ke$ha Unharmed
Categories: Crime, WTF Florida
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| Wikimedia Commons |
| No Ke$has were harmed by Clemente DiMuro. |
It's a dangerous combination. For instance, when poachers such as Clemente DiMuro shoot protected anhinga "snakebirds," chop off their pretty feathers, and sell them on the Internet.
It was a lucrative racket while it lasted. And DiMuro's only competition was the swamp.
"They are hard to get out of the water before the gators get them," he wrote to one customer.
DiMuro was sentenced yesterday to time served, house arrest, and community service after admitting to killing and selling at least a dozen anhingas -- also known as snakebirds or waterbirds -- which are protected under the Migratory Birds Act. DiMuro, who has been busted several times for illegal fishing in Broward, didn't even have a hunting license.
In 2009, DiMuro used his MySpace account to sell sets of anhinga tail feathers for $100 per bird (12 feathers per fowl) to a customer in Grantsville, Utah. That guy then sold them for twice the price to feather lovers out West.
DiMuro listed his occupation on MySpace as "feather man."
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| Wikimedia commons |
| Anhingas, also known as waterbirds or snakebirds, live in the Everglades. |
In fact, they were. It just took awhile. Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided the Utah location before arresting DiMuro in his Tamiami home March 30.
Did the fad of feather hair extensions have anything to do with it? We'll never know. But DiMuro's indictment gives one hint as to the plumes' possible use.
The poacher told another interested buyer that "if u live in arizona or utah contact cheif charley" [sic] to arrange shipping.
The indictment notes that only recognized members of Native American tribes are allowed to obtain permits to possess migratory bird feathers, and only then for religious and ceremonial purposes.
The strange caper is reminiscent of Susan Orlean's famous article and book about South Florida orchid thieves, who occasionally used Native Americans to help poach the rare plants.
Thankfully, no Ke$has were harmed for their feathers. DiMuro, on the other hand, looks a little worse for the wear in this mug shot we found from an unrelated battery charge last November:
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| Clemente DiMuro defowled the Everglades. |
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