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Oct. 01, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Man charged in effort to sell deadly reptiles

By DAVID KIHARA
REVIEW-JOURNAL

A federal grand jury last week indicted a 21-year-old man for attempting to sell deadly, illegal reptiles from his Las Vegas home via the Internet, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Cody Brett Bartolini was arrested Friday and charged with three felony counts of attempted unlawful sale of wildlife, including seven green mambas, two forest cobras, one black-necked spitting cobra, two Great Basin rattlesnakes, a Mojave sidewinder rattlesnake and a southwestern speckled rattlesnake, prosecutors said.


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    • Authorities stated that an Ohio game warden received information that Bartolini was offering to sell and trade venomous reptiles online.

    Agents later found that Bartolini had been offering venomous snakes for sale or trade from his residence in Las Vegas since September 2004, according to federal prosecutors.

    On March 9, U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents served a search warrant at Bartolini's Las Vegas home and seized 48 snakes of various species, a caiman, Gila monster and an alligator snapping turtle, prosecutors said.

    Nevada law prohibits people from possessing certain indigenous and nonindigenous snakes without proper licensing and permits.

    It is also a federal violation to sell the reptiles between states if the wildlife is possessed illegally.

    Bartolini appeared in federal court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released on his own recognizance.

    Bartolini faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

    The venom of the snakes seized is highly toxic and can be lethal to humans and animals, prosecutors said.

    Green mambas and cobras, for example, have an extremely potent neurotoxic venom that attacks the nervous system and can shut down the lungs and heart of a bite victim. Mambas have been reported to bring down giraffes and lions. Spitting cobras can incapacitate larger would-be predators, such as humans, by spraying venom into their eyes.

    The venom of Mojave rattlesnakes is both neurotoxic and hemotoxic. Hemotoxins are poisons that destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting, and cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage.

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    A Friend wrote on March 17, 2009 02:11 PM: To all those who think Cody is stupid, you might want to check again. He did his homework and knows how to handle these snakes. I agree with Ashley. At the rate the government is going, we won't be able to keep a decent dog without the police knocking on our door. He took all the necessary precautions. Nobody got hurt. And no, he didn't get ten years. Jerk.


    Ashley wrote on October 08, 2008 04:59 AM: Cody is a really great guy with a huge passion for reptiles! Not only that but he has worked with them for years so he is a experienced snake handler. The legal system is so screwed up ..like that one person was saying there are more horrible things going on out in the world. The law enforcement should worry more about robbery and murders than this stupid shit.


    Retlaw wrote on June 16, 2008 07:45 AM: Cody is an idiot. He should have done things legally. He's really lucky none of those snakes got out.

    BTW whatever happened to him? Hopefully he gets 10 years.


    Brandon wrote on June 10, 2008 03:02 PM: More tax dollars down the drain. Get a life people. 2 teenagers were shot a couple days ago (one died) and the cops have no clue who did it. A cop gets shot last nite and the gunman is behind bars within hours. And they have no problem finding a guy with a few illegal snakes. There are a lot bigger problems we need to deal with on the streets of Vegas.


    Asherz wrote on October 18, 2007 05:44 PM: This is pretty damn stupid. Cody knows how to handle snakes, no one has ever gotten bit by any of his reptiles or been harmed in any way. When Jeff Corwin or Steve Irwin did it, they were 'badasses', but when a young man with a passion for deadly snakes does it, hes a felon and a 'dumbass'. I don't think so guys. Everyone should get to know him before thinking that he just 'sold' them or wanted money for them.


    Leah wrote on October 12, 2007 11:57 PM: It's awesome how this article is completely biased and only mentions the bad part. It doesn't even mention how U.S fish and wildlife found ALOT of research in cody's house about the reptiles he had. He wasn't being stupid about what he was doing. He was doing something he loved. He had books upon books about all the different species so that he knew EVERYTHING there was to know about them. He had professional equipment and handled everything very carefully. He was more educated than most people that handle those kinds of reptiles for a living. He could tell you anything you wanted to know about them. Noone ever even got close to getting hurt under his supervision. Cody was just doing something he loved and it didn't cause any harm to anyone else. There is alot worse things going on in Las Vegas to worry about than one kids hobby.


    Dana wrote on October 12, 2007 01:36 PM: Cody was very smart and did a lot of research so he could understand how to handle the snakes. He never put anyone in danger of getting hurt. He was doing research on what he loved. It is against the law and Im not saying no punishment but dont be so hard.


    irene wrote on October 12, 2007 10:00 AM: Cody is an idiot and deserves whatever he gets. maybe he will learn not to brake the law. And other people will not follow in his foot steps


    Jenn wrote on October 12, 2007 09:41 AM: This man had a love for reptiles. Thats it. Never tried to hurt anyone.


    ANDY wrote on October 01, 2007 08:27 PM: CODY IS A GOOD GUY WHO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE THE LOVE FOR REPTILES. GO FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY CAUSING PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD.