Tom Crutchfield, also known as Tommy, is an American reptile

breeder A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, ...

known for his extensive

Homestead, Florida Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. The population was 80,737 as of the 2020 census. Homestead is primarily a Miami s ...

, facility and his 1999 arrest and conviction under Operation Chameleon for trafficking in exotic animals and violating the

Lacey Act The Lacey Act of 1900 is a conservation law in the United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.United States. Lacey Act (Game). , ch. 553. Approved May 25, 1900. ...

, which temporarily suspended his business. He has called himself "the

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

of the reptile business". The case was later featured on National Geographic's ''

Locked Up Abroad ''Banged Up Abroad'' (rebadged as ''Locked Up Abroad'' in Asia and the United States, and ''Jailed Abroad'' in India, for the National Geographic Channel) is a British documentary/docudrama television series created by Bart Layton that was prod ...

''. He is also the focus of the 2008 book by Bryan Christy, ''The Lizard King'', along with Michael Van Nostrand of Strictly Reptiles, and the 2011 book ''Stolen World'' by Jennie Smith.

Early life

Before becoming interested in reptiles, Tom was a carpet

salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...

Work with reptiles

Crutchfield is well known for his work with reptiles. In 1981, he purchased the first documented amelanistic Burmese python from a Thai dealer, for US$21,000, after seeing the animal featured in a 1981 edition of

National Geographic magazine ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

. He then partnered with Bob Clark to produce the first captive-bred albino Burmese pythons from that animal. He also produced the first albino '' Iguana iguana'' and supplied reptiles to movies such as '' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' and '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

Reptile smuggling

In 1992 Tom was charged with illegally importing reptiles. The charge had little effect on business as that same year he imported sixteen

Gaboon viper The Gaboon viper (''Bitis gabonica''), also called the Gaboon adder, is a viper species found in the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa.McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. ''Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geog ...

s and fourteen Burmese pythons via the

Montgomery Zoo Montgomery Zoo is a zoo located on the north side of Montgomery, Alabama. The zoo is an independent city department, and is supported in part by The Montgomery Area Zoolocal Society. It is home to approximately 750 animals representing 140 specie ...

. Later, in 1995, Tom was convicted a second time, of illegally smuggling Fiji Banded Iguanas into the United States. The case was tried in district court after complaints that the prosecutor's dissection of Penny Crutchfield's, Tom's wife, sexual behavior was irrelevant in a case about illegally importing iguanas. In 1997,

US Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated ...

s and the

US Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

, under Operation Chameleon, informed Tom that he was under investigation for

wildlife smuggling Wildlife smuggling or trafficking involves the illegal gathering, transportation, and distribution of animals and their derivatives. This can be done either internationally or domestically. Estimates of the money generated by wildlife smuggling ...

for the third time. In the 1997 charge, he was accused of conspiring with two German nationals, Wolfgang Kloe and Frank Lehmeyer, and a Japanese national, Kei Tomono, to illegally import over 200 reptiles and amphibians, including

Madagascar tree boa ''Sanzinia madagascariensis'', also known as the Malagasy tree boaMehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . or Madagascar tree boa, is a boa species endemic to the island of Madagascar. It ...

Madagascar ground boa ''Acrantophis madagascariensis'' is a species of boid snake in the subfamily Sanziniinae that is endemic to the island of Madagascar. Its common names include Malagasy ground boa and Madagascar boa. Description This species is included in the ...

s, as well as a species of turtles, all species under the protection of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

., Tom immediately fled to

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

, but he was extradited back to the US by officials there. Crutchfield was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Of his 1992-1999 smuggling activity, Tom stated that he was "guilty because I'm guilty."

2011 shooting

In March 2011, Tom's business partner and the owner of the snake farm property, Bruce Stephenson, arrived on the property with a gun and barricaded himself inside one of the buildings on the property.

SWAT team In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

members responded to the situation and initiated a standoff. Tom was grazed by a bullet, and the situation ended when gunfire ceased and an armed body was found inside the building.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crutchfield, Tom American smugglers American herpetologists People from Homestead, Florida Year of birth missing (living people) Living people