September 27, 2017 - 7:14 AM
KEY WEST, Fla. - Two Florida men have pleaded guilty to violating the U.S. Endangered Species Act for tying up three tiny Key deer in the back of a car in July.
According to a report in The Citizen , 18-year-old Erik Yosany Damas Acosta of Miami Gardens and 23-year-old Tumani Anthony Younge of Tamara each face up to a year in federal prison after signing plea agreements Monday in Fort Lauderdale federal court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald said prosecutors would ask for leniency at their Oct. 30 sentencing in Key West federal court.
Both men also face state felony charges of cruelty to animals and killing or wounding an endangered, threatened or species of special concern.
One deer found in the trunk of the men's car had to be euthanized. Two others were released in the Lower Keys.
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Information from: The Key West (Fla.) Citizen, http://www.keysnews.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2017