‘Monkey Whisperer’: Florida man arrested for illegally trading exotic animals, fined $60,000

A Florida man who calls himself the “Monkey Whisperer” has been sent to prison for continuing to traffic in exotic animals while on probation for the same crime, U.S. prosecutors said.Jimmy Wayne Hammonds, 62, of Parrish, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025, to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, a federal law prohibiting illegal wildlife trade.Hammonds runs a company called The Monkey Whisperer, LLC, which specializes in selling primates and other exotic animals. Authorities said he continued to operate the business even though he was already on federal probation for similar crimes.According to court documents, Hammonds made contact with an undercover agent through his company’s social media accounts. “At Hammonds’ request, the conversation moved to an encrypted text messaging application to discuss potential wildlife sales. Hammonds agreed to sell two common marmosets to the undercover agent for $7,400.” He also arranged for the transaction to take place in Georgia in an attempt to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.Prosecutors said the case resulted in the surrender of 67 animals owned by Hammonds. These include several primates as well as muntjak deer, lemurs, kangaroos, wallabies and otters.In addition to prison time, a federal judge ordered Hammonds to pay a $60,000 fine to fund the Lacey Act Rewards Fund, which supports whistleblowers who report wildlife trafficking. He is also banned from “possessing, breeding, selling, transporting or exhibiting any wild animal”.Hammonds also faces a probation violation hearing on April 2, 2026.