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Newport Beach man pleads guilty to stealing endangered lemur from Santa Ana Zoo

by in News

A Newport Beach man who pleaded guilty on Monday, July 8, to stealing an endangered lemur from the Santa Ana Zoo last year could face as much as a year in prison and a six-figure fine.

Aquinas Kasbar, 19, had been charged on suspicion of unlawfully taking an endangered species, officials said in a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office. Prosecutors said he had admitted to breaking into the Santa Ana Zoo in July 2018 and stealing Isaac, the oldest ring-tailed lemur held in captivity in North America.

“My client accepted responsibility today for a mistake he made as a high school student,” said Kasbar’s attorney, Brian Gurwitz. “He quickly regretted his decision.”

  • Santa Ana Zoo’s Manager Ethan Fisher feeds Isaac, a 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur, a treat on Monday, May 20, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Isaac, a 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur, the oldest of its kind in captivity in North America, was stolen from the Santa Ana Zoo last year but was quickly recovered federal prosecutors said. Issac hangs out with other lemurs in Santa Ana on
    Monday, May 20, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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  • Isaac, second from left, and friends, get treats at the Santa Ana Zoo on Monday, May 20, 2019. The 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur, the oldest of its kind in captivity in North America, was stolen from the Santa Ana Zoo last year but was quickly recovered federal prosecutors said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Isaac, a 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur, the oldest of its kind in captivity in North America, was stolen from the Santa Ana Zoo last year but was quickly recovered federal prosecutors said. Issac hangs out with other lemurs in Santa Ana on
    Monday, May 20, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Isaac, a 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur, the oldest of its kind in captivity in North America, was stolen from the Santa Ana Zoo last year but was quickly recovered federal prosecutors said. Issac hangs out with other lemurs in Santa Ana on
    Monday, May 20, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Prosecutors said he had admitted to breaking into the Santa Ana Zoo and stealing Isaac. He allegedly used a bolt cutter to make a hole in an enclosure for primates, allowing several animals to escape and causing $8,486 of damage.

Kasbar originally intended to own Isaac as a pet, and kept him in an unventilated plastic drawer, but later decided to abandon the endangered animal, prosecutors said. The 32-year-old primate was found unharmed in front of a Newport Beach hotel, along with a message from the defendant that Gurwitz said was “designed to ensure his safe return to the Santa Ana Zoo.”

The defendant was scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing on Monday, Oct. 28. He faces a maximum of one year in prison and $100,000 in fines.

Ring-tailed lemurs are among the most 25 most-endangered primates, prosecutors said in their statement. They are at risk, in part, because of the illegal pet trade.