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Probation For S.I. Woman Who Smuggled Monkey Meat
By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 12, 2009
Modified Dec 12, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Dec 12, 2009
Modified Dec 12, 2009
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A federal judge sentenced a Staten Island mother of eight to probation for smuggling monkey meat into the country.
Citing her large family — and three other children she is currently raising in her home — Federal Judge Raymond Dearie ruled that Mamie Manneh shouldn't be put behind bars for illegally trying to sneak 720 pounds of bushmeat including limbs, skulls and torsos from baboons and green monkeys in boxes labeled "African dresses and smoked fish" through customs three years ago. "If you do it again, whether you have 11 children or 32, you will not be spared a federal prison sentence," the judge warned.
Manneh, who has 11 prior arrests including one for running over her husband's suspected mistress with an SUV, argued it was her Constitutional right to bring monkey meat into the United States. Her lawyers claimed she needed to eat monkey during certain religious ceremonies for her syncretic faith, which merges Christian and African traditions. A judge shot down those arguments, stating that Manneh should have applied for the necessary permits to import exotic foods. Prosecutors — and even renowned monkey expert Jane Goodall — said Manneh should be put behind bars for as long as 27 months.
Tagged
baboon
bushmeat
customs
mamie manneh
monkey
monkey meat
probation
smuggling
Ben Muessig
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