WEBVTT 00:00:08.388 --> 00:00:10.181 Just a handful of days before the heist, 00:00:10.265 --> 00:00:12.600 I received a phone call, 00:00:12.642 --> 00:00:14.686 which led to just a shit storm. 00:00:14.769 --> 00:00:16.396 I was driving through the desert, 00:00:16.396 --> 00:00:17.564 back from Tucson. 00:00:17.647 --> 00:00:19.691 I was taking the opportunity to pick up, 00:00:19.691 --> 00:00:22.235 uh, a colony of honeypot ants, 00:00:22.318 --> 00:00:23.611 and those are the kind of things 00:00:23.611 --> 00:00:25.196 that you cannot send back on a plane. 00:00:27.198 --> 00:00:29.659 And I get a call from this newspaper reporter. 00:00:29.743 --> 00:00:30.660 Hello? 00:00:30.744 --> 00:00:31.327 It was like, 00:00:31.369 --> 00:00:32.537 "What do you think about Wlodek?" 00:00:32.954 --> 00:00:33.621 And I was like, 00:00:33.663 --> 00:00:34.706 "What are you talking about?" 00:00:34.789 --> 00:00:35.373 And they were, like, 00:00:35.373 --> 00:00:37.208 "He's looking at federal charges 00:00:37.292 --> 00:00:39.252 and up to 20 years in prison." 00:00:40.086 --> 00:00:42.130 And I'm thinking, "Oh, shit." 00:00:42.213 --> 00:00:43.673 It turns out that Wlodek had been 00:00:43.715 --> 00:00:45.717 importing and 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:47.802 distributing exotic species. 00:00:49.846 --> 00:00:53.224 Wlodek was having giant millipedes 00:00:53.308 --> 00:00:56.561 and poisonous scorpions sent from Africa. 00:00:56.644 --> 00:00:58.646 And the packages were disguised 00:00:58.730 --> 00:01:01.149 with indicators on the outside of the package, 00:01:01.232 --> 00:01:04.694 plush toys for my friend's child 00:01:04.736 --> 00:01:06.362 who is about to be born. 00:01:06.446 --> 00:01:08.073 The boxes they were packed 00:01:08.073 --> 00:01:09.532 in were not packed very well. 00:01:18.833 --> 00:01:19.918 Scorpions, millipedes, 00:01:19.918 --> 00:01:21.002 and things like that, 00:01:21.086 --> 00:01:24.089 had escaped in the post office van. 00:01:24.172 --> 00:01:25.465 And the USDA 00:01:25.465 --> 00:01:27.133 was pressing charges against him, 00:01:27.217 --> 00:01:28.718 and instead of a slap on the wrist, 00:01:28.760 --> 00:01:31.221 they were gonna throw the book at him. 00:01:31.304 --> 00:01:32.514 I said, "Whoa." 00:01:32.597 --> 00:01:33.473 And the reporter says, 00:01:33.515 --> 00:01:34.432 "Yeah, well, uh, I mean, 00:01:34.516 --> 00:01:35.850 it also says that he is the director 00:01:35.892 --> 00:01:39.521 of your Animal Care Department on his Facebook page." 00:01:40.438 --> 00:01:41.397 I said, "No, 00:01:41.397 --> 00:01:43.650 he is not still working at the museum." 00:01:43.775 --> 00:01:46.277 He hadn't been for a while at that point. 00:01:46.361 --> 00:01:49.989 I literally had no idea at the time 00:01:50.031 --> 00:01:51.991 that this one phone call 00:01:52.075 --> 00:01:54.702 was the event that set the heist into motion. 00:02:12.011 --> 00:02:13.972 When Wlodek was here, 00:02:13.972 --> 00:02:16.516 business was amazing. 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.185 Not only did we now have the exotic creatures' 00:02:19.269 --> 00:02:20.353 from all over the world, 00:02:20.395 --> 00:02:21.229 we had a lot of them. 00:02:22.647 --> 00:02:24.607 Wlodek helped us start the program, 00:02:24.607 --> 00:02:26.067 he helped us get everything set up, 00:02:26.151 --> 00:02:27.944 train the staff. 00:02:27.986 --> 00:02:29.571 Now, we have more educational coordinators, 00:02:29.612 --> 00:02:31.281 now we're creating summer camps, 00:02:31.281 --> 00:02:32.282 now we're doing after school programs. 00:02:32.323 --> 00:02:35.034 And we got very busy, 00:02:35.076 --> 00:02:36.452 which was great. 00:02:36.536 --> 00:02:39.205 But after a year, 00:02:39.247 --> 00:02:40.665 Wlodek left. 00:02:40.748 --> 00:02:42.500 Director: Did he tell you why he was leaving? 00:02:42.542 --> 00:02:43.501 No. 00:02:43.501 --> 00:02:46.462 And he didn't give us much warning at all. 00:02:48.047 --> 00:02:49.424 It became evident 00:02:49.465 --> 00:02:51.676 that Wlodek left the Insectarium 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:53.887 on some murky circumstances. 00:02:53.970 --> 00:02:55.930 It appeared that he was selling a lot 00:02:55.972 --> 00:02:57.724 of illegal bugs and 00:02:57.724 --> 00:02:59.225 making good money. 00:02:59.309 --> 00:03:00.518 Wlodek had breeding operations 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:02.729 in the rearing room, 00:03:02.770 --> 00:03:04.689 and collectors were coming 00:03:04.731 --> 00:03:06.649 to the museum to buy stuff from Wlodek. 00:03:06.733 --> 00:03:10.361 And it could be anything from mantids 00:03:10.445 --> 00:03:13.865 to stick insects, to you name it. 00:03:13.948 --> 00:03:17.160 If it was part of a breeding program, they... 00:03:17.243 --> 00:03:19.495 It was sold out of the Insectarium. 00:03:19.996 --> 00:03:21.581 Director: Were you ever ordering things 00:03:21.581 --> 00:03:23.208 from other countries? 00:03:23.291 --> 00:03:24.959 Um... 00:03:28.546 --> 00:03:30.006 Director: How about Wlodek? 00:03:30.089 --> 00:03:32.759 Well, he was involved in a USDA investigation 00:03:32.842 --> 00:03:34.010 and, uh, decided 00:03:34.010 --> 00:03:36.429 not to interfere with that. 00:03:36.512 --> 00:03:40.099 Director: Do you know what his current legal status is? 00:03:40.183 --> 00:03:42.185 Shocked he's not in jail. 00:03:42.268 --> 00:03:43.561 The last I heard of Wlodek, 00:03:43.686 --> 00:03:45.396 he was living in the basement 00:03:45.438 --> 00:03:46.898 of his parents' house. 00:03:48.107 --> 00:03:49.901 Wlodek got actually put on house arrest. 00:03:50.944 --> 00:03:52.904 Looking at the timeline 00:03:52.946 --> 00:03:54.948 of when Wlodek got arrested, 00:03:55.031 --> 00:03:56.324 I'd realized that Wlodek 00:03:56.366 --> 00:03:58.743 couldn't have pulled this off. 00:03:58.826 --> 00:04:00.787 But based on Wlodek's activities, 00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:02.288 one of the first things we looked at 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:04.874 was his connections with other employees. 00:04:06.751 --> 00:04:07.961 When Wlodek left, 00:04:07.961 --> 00:04:10.213 it was just a power vacuum at the top. 00:04:12.215 --> 00:04:14.133 And nobody wanted the job 00:04:14.175 --> 00:04:16.135 because the Animal Care Department 00:04:16.219 --> 00:04:17.929 is a monstrous department 00:04:17.971 --> 00:04:19.722 with all of these responsibilities. 00:04:19.806 --> 00:04:21.140 We suddenly had this void. 00:04:21.224 --> 00:04:23.309 Animal Care needs a director. 00:04:23.351 --> 00:04:25.228 I understood that 00:04:25.228 --> 00:04:28.106 when Wlodek left, Chris took over his job. 00:04:28.189 --> 00:04:29.941 Chris really wanted it. 00:04:30.024 --> 00:04:31.943 He wanted to be the director, 00:04:31.985 --> 00:04:32.819 and at the end of the day, 00:04:32.902 --> 00:04:34.654 that's actually worth a lot. 00:04:34.737 --> 00:04:36.322 So after Chris took over, 00:04:36.364 --> 00:04:38.366 I mean, at first, it was exciting, 00:04:38.449 --> 00:04:39.367 so we're, like, 00:04:39.450 --> 00:04:41.869 seeing all of these really cool creatures come through. 00:04:41.953 --> 00:04:44.706 And there was a bunch of instances where, 00:04:44.789 --> 00:04:46.291 "What the heck is that?" 00:04:46.374 --> 00:04:49.085 But in order to maintain our permits, 00:04:49.085 --> 00:04:50.503 we have a level of culpability 00:04:50.586 --> 00:04:53.256 for everything that goes through our doors. 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:54.966 And so, it was really cool that Chris 00:04:55.008 --> 00:04:56.884 was able to bring in some other stuff 00:04:56.968 --> 00:04:59.470 but, um, that 00:04:59.512 --> 00:05:01.222 couldn't happen here. 00:05:01.306 --> 00:05:04.684 That frustrated him tremendously. 00:05:04.767 --> 00:05:06.185 So, to go back, 00:05:06.227 --> 00:05:08.271 after that phone call with the reporter, 00:05:08.354 --> 00:05:10.815 I realized that if there is anything 00:05:10.857 --> 00:05:12.025 that is going to cause 00:05:12.108 --> 00:05:14.569 a surprise mega inspection, 00:05:14.652 --> 00:05:15.903 it's a front page article 00:05:15.945 --> 00:05:18.489 about your director of Animal Care 00:05:18.573 --> 00:05:20.742 being caught smuggling 00:05:20.742 --> 00:05:21.868 and selling exotic species. 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:24.704 My name is Wayne Wehling, uh, 00:05:25.121 --> 00:05:26.331 My name is Wayne Wehling, uh, 00:05:26.414 --> 00:05:27.707 Senior Entomologist 00:05:27.749 --> 00:05:29.917 with the United States Department 00:05:30.001 --> 00:05:32.086 of Agriculture's Animal 00:05:32.086 --> 00:05:34.213 and Plant Health Inspection Service. 00:05:34.297 --> 00:05:36.924 If an employee of an institution 00:05:36.924 --> 00:05:38.593 is arrested because they're involved 00:05:38.676 --> 00:05:40.970 in smuggling bugs, 00:05:40.970 --> 00:05:42.055 we would certainly completely review 00:05:42.138 --> 00:05:43.973 the institution's operation 00:05:44.057 --> 00:05:46.809 and we would have a thorough discussion 00:05:46.893 --> 00:05:49.604 with management on next steps. 00:05:49.687 --> 00:05:52.648 Director: And would those next steps include inspection? 00:05:52.732 --> 00:05:53.858 Oh, absolutely. 00:05:57.362 --> 00:05:58.529 So after that phone call, 00:05:58.529 --> 00:05:59.947 I called back to Chrissy, 00:06:00.031 --> 00:06:00.990 and I was like, 00:06:01.032 --> 00:06:03.242 "Hey, this just happened to Wlodek, 00:06:03.326 --> 00:06:04.619 just make sure everything's buttoned up 00:06:04.660 --> 00:06:05.995 back at the museum," 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:07.872 and that we have all our permits, 00:06:07.955 --> 00:06:09.791 we have everything we're supposed to. 00:06:09.874 --> 00:06:11.501 I just wanted to double check. 00:06:11.584 --> 00:06:13.294 So she brings in Chris, the Director 00:06:13.294 --> 00:06:15.755 of Living Exhibits at that point, 00:06:15.838 --> 00:06:17.882 and starts to tell him what's going on, 00:06:17.965 --> 00:06:20.009 you know, and Chris just, like, 00:06:20.093 --> 00:06:22.804 he doesn't even wait for Chrissy to finish talking to him, 00:06:22.887 --> 00:06:25.640 he just immediately bolts out of the office. 00:06:28.518 --> 00:06:30.686 Chrissy tracks him down and says, 00:06:30.728 --> 00:06:31.521 "What's going on with you, man?" 00:06:32.855 --> 00:06:36.275 Apparently, he was afraid he was about to get raided. 00:06:36.359 --> 00:06:39.821 Because it turns out that Chris 00:06:39.904 --> 00:06:42.115 was in the same world as Wlodek. 00:06:43.574 --> 00:06:45.451 These guys all dealing insects together 00:06:45.535 --> 00:06:46.160 and I knew he bought 00:06:46.202 --> 00:06:47.328 and sold and traded them. 00:06:48.496 --> 00:06:50.039 Chris would call it the hobby, 00:06:50.039 --> 00:06:51.624 he kept on using this phrase, 00:06:51.707 --> 00:06:53.626 and I just assumed it meant 00:06:53.668 --> 00:06:56.546 the insect husbandry kind of group, 00:06:56.629 --> 00:07:00.299 but it also kind of seems like a veil 00:07:00.383 --> 00:07:01.634 to cover, 00:07:01.634 --> 00:07:03.803 like, some shady stuff that was going on. 00:07:03.886 --> 00:07:06.931 Coded language for illegally importing 00:07:07.014 --> 00:07:09.142 these animals into the United States. 00:07:09.225 --> 00:07:11.561 I knew Chris had a friend 00:07:11.602 --> 00:07:13.396 who would travel the country, 00:07:13.479 --> 00:07:14.981 packing suitcases 00:07:15.022 --> 00:07:16.357 full of whatever he collected, 00:07:16.441 --> 00:07:17.608 and I do remember 00:07:17.650 --> 00:07:20.862 a suitcase showing up here at one point. 00:07:25.450 --> 00:07:26.367 We then found 00:07:26.742 --> 00:07:26.868 We then found 00:07:26.868 --> 00:07:27.952 that Chris was using our address 00:07:28.035 --> 00:07:30.580 to have insects shipped 00:07:30.621 --> 00:07:31.956 in and delivered. 00:07:32.039 --> 00:07:34.876 Boxes that had tarantulas in them 00:07:34.917 --> 00:07:36.085 from all over the place. 00:07:36.169 --> 00:07:38.588 Chris' specialty was tarantulas 00:07:38.629 --> 00:07:41.924 and we had a tremendous collection. 00:07:42.592 --> 00:07:43.676 Director: Would it surprise you to learn 00:07:43.718 --> 00:07:44.802 that a major target of the heist 00:07:44.844 --> 00:07:46.512 actually were tarantulas? 00:07:46.596 --> 00:07:48.764 I mean, that would not surprise me, no. 00:07:48.848 --> 00:07:50.641 I don't know everything that's happening here. 00:07:51.601 --> 00:07:52.185 And then 00:07:52.226 --> 00:07:53.811 after interviews were conducted, 00:07:53.895 --> 00:07:55.438 it was reported that federal evidence, 00:07:55.521 --> 00:07:57.231 tarantulas were stolen that 00:07:57.273 --> 00:08:00.151 was being maintained by the Insectarium. 00:08:00.234 --> 00:08:01.986 We had, uh, eight tarantulas 00:08:02.028 --> 00:08:04.030 which were evidence for a smuggling trial. 00:08:04.113 --> 00:08:05.072 When we realized 00:08:05.114 --> 00:08:07.366 the evidence tarantulas were taken, 00:08:07.408 --> 00:08:08.784 we were concerned about, 00:08:08.784 --> 00:08:10.661 "Okay, why were these ones taken?" 00:08:10.745 --> 00:08:11.996 The investigation's ongoing, 00:08:12.038 --> 00:08:13.581 our partners in the federal agencies 00:08:13.664 --> 00:08:15.583 had joined us, due to the fact that some 00:08:15.625 --> 00:08:17.585 of them were evidence in ongoing cases. 00:08:20.046 --> 00:08:21.756 The FBI got involved in the case 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.675 because we didn't just have display creatures, 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:26.969 we also happened to be a facility 00:08:26.969 --> 00:08:28.971 that held evidence. 00:08:29.055 --> 00:08:31.182 Some smuggler had been bringing 00:08:31.224 --> 00:08:33.392 tarantulas into the US 00:08:33.476 --> 00:08:35.353 and we were one of the facilities 00:08:35.394 --> 00:08:37.897 that would hold them until trial. 00:08:38.022 --> 00:08:40.441 Whoever had robbed the Insectarium, 00:08:40.525 --> 00:08:43.611 they stole federal evidence tarantulas. 00:08:43.694 --> 00:08:45.863 It would have been a lesser crime 00:08:45.947 --> 00:08:48.533 to have just walked into the front, 00:08:48.616 --> 00:08:50.326 taken the cash out 00:08:50.326 --> 00:08:51.285 of the register and walked out. 00:08:51.369 --> 00:08:53.496 If in fact these tarantulas 00:08:53.496 --> 00:08:55.331 were federal evidence 00:08:55.414 --> 00:08:57.375 and they were stolen, 00:08:57.458 --> 00:09:00.670 it would change the direction of this investigation. 00:09:00.753 --> 00:09:02.505 One would consider 00:09:02.505 --> 00:09:04.048 that it could be a bigger crime 00:09:04.131 --> 00:09:05.633 with other criminals involved 00:09:05.633 --> 00:09:06.759 with a different intent. 00:09:08.219 --> 00:09:10.263 Sometimes, cases like this 00:09:10.263 --> 00:09:12.014 take on a life of their own. 00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:26.153 So during some research 00:09:26.195 --> 00:09:27.655 and looking at the inventory 00:09:27.738 --> 00:09:30.866 and looking at different types of tarantulas, say, 00:09:30.950 --> 00:09:33.244 and find out there's huge markets 00:09:33.244 --> 00:09:34.245 of tarantulas in Mexico. 00:09:36.205 --> 00:09:37.248 During the heist, 00:09:37.290 --> 00:09:39.375 one of the critters they took 00:09:39.458 --> 00:09:41.919 was the Mexican fire-leg tarantula. 00:09:42.003 --> 00:09:44.380 These are not common creatures. 00:09:44.463 --> 00:09:46.257 So, this was 00:09:46.257 --> 00:09:49.135 a very calculated move. 00:09:51.095 --> 00:09:53.931 There was definitely a new motive for this heist. 00:09:54.015 --> 00:09:56.058 I had no idea that this was going 00:09:56.058 --> 00:09:57.977 to move in so many different directions. 00:09:58.060 --> 00:09:58.644 Previously, 00:09:58.686 --> 00:10:00.605 it was indicated that a smuggler 00:10:00.688 --> 00:10:02.148 may have taken these bugs 00:10:02.148 --> 00:10:04.150 for the purposes of selling them. 00:10:04.984 --> 00:10:05.860 And now, 00:10:05.901 --> 00:10:08.613 there was consideration that the reason 00:10:08.696 --> 00:10:09.614 for this heist 00:10:09.655 --> 00:10:11.282 was that a ring of smugglers 00:10:11.365 --> 00:10:12.783 took these tarantulas 00:10:12.825 --> 00:10:14.910 to suppress evidence in an ongoing trial. 00:10:16.912 --> 00:10:17.872 Persons involved or people 00:10:17.913 --> 00:10:20.458 with the goal and the nerve 00:10:20.541 --> 00:10:23.044 to take on that type of activity 00:10:23.127 --> 00:10:25.046 would have to be some sort of organized group. 00:10:25.129 --> 00:10:27.340 As a result of this allegation, 00:10:27.423 --> 00:10:29.884 a closer look was taken at the tarantula trade, 00:10:29.967 --> 00:10:31.469 which is going on in Mexico. 00:10:38.893 --> 00:10:41.562 There's a lot of illegal pet trade here in Mexico. 00:10:42.229 --> 00:10:43.648 It's very, very big. 00:10:45.524 --> 00:10:47.693 You can see tarantulas everywhere, 00:10:47.693 --> 00:10:48.653 alive and dead. 00:10:48.778 --> 00:10:50.613 And the most beautiful tarantulas 00:10:50.655 --> 00:10:52.531 are the Mexican tarantulas. 00:10:52.615 --> 00:10:54.533 If you have a collection of tarantulas 00:10:54.617 --> 00:10:56.077 and you don't have a Mexican tarantula, 00:10:56.118 --> 00:10:57.411 you don't have a collection. 00:10:58.996 --> 00:11:00.873 My name is Rodrigo Orozco. 00:11:00.956 --> 00:11:04.919 I'm the director and founder of this place 00:11:05.002 --> 00:11:07.922 here in Guadalajara, Tarantulas De Mexico. 00:11:09.090 --> 00:11:11.217 When I start all of this, 00:11:11.217 --> 00:11:13.386 I knew I have enemies, right? 00:11:15.137 --> 00:11:16.806 I knew I had to fight. 00:11:16.889 --> 00:11:19.433 The black market of animals is huge. 00:11:19.517 --> 00:11:21.185 They have their own cartel. 00:11:22.645 --> 00:11:24.438 The mission here in Tarantulas De Mexico 00:11:24.438 --> 00:11:27.566 is to capture and breed tarantulas, 00:11:27.650 --> 00:11:28.693 and the education of the people 00:11:28.734 --> 00:11:30.569 about the Mexican tarantulas. 00:11:30.653 --> 00:11:31.696 Hey. 00:11:31.737 --> 00:11:32.697 Hey. 00:11:32.780 --> 00:11:33.739 Welcome. Welcome. 00:11:33.823 --> 00:11:35.074 And what we do 00:11:35.116 --> 00:11:37.034 is that we breed captive tarantulas 00:11:37.118 --> 00:11:38.661 and we send them in the market 00:11:38.744 --> 00:11:40.705 so that tarantulas in the wild, 00:11:40.746 --> 00:11:42.164 they're gonna leave alone. 00:11:42.206 --> 00:11:43.749 Because tarantulas 00:11:43.749 --> 00:11:46.961 are in great danger of extinction. 00:11:47.670 --> 00:11:49.505 They are in great danger 00:11:49.547 --> 00:11:51.173 because of the poachers. 00:11:53.592 --> 00:11:55.636 The poacher, 00:11:55.678 --> 00:11:58.347 I just take his market out of his hand. 00:11:59.056 --> 00:12:01.475 I had some threats. 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:02.268 Like, yeah, 00:12:02.268 --> 00:12:04.019 I know what you're doing, watch out. 00:12:04.103 --> 00:12:06.355 But when I get the call to slow down, 00:12:06.439 --> 00:12:08.524 that I was gonna get hurt, 00:12:08.524 --> 00:12:10.651 it run me more. 00:12:10.735 --> 00:12:12.737 It gives me more power. 00:12:13.654 --> 00:12:15.364 Okay. So now, 00:12:15.448 --> 00:12:17.616 you're afraid, I won't be afraid. 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:18.784 I got you now. 00:12:20.453 --> 00:12:22.705 The tarantulas are a very hot item. 00:12:22.788 --> 00:12:24.582 They're very popular. 00:12:24.665 --> 00:12:28.085 There's an extremely defined market for Mexican tarantulas. 00:12:28.169 --> 00:12:29.837 We needed to factor all that in. 00:12:29.920 --> 00:12:31.756 It's very, 00:12:31.756 --> 00:12:32.798 very sad, because the tarantulas 00:12:32.882 --> 00:12:35.843 are almost gone in Mexico. 00:12:35.926 --> 00:12:37.219 That I've been witness 00:12:37.219 --> 00:12:38.929 and it's very, very sad. 00:12:40.473 --> 00:12:41.599 The government budgets 00:12:41.599 --> 00:12:44.977 for handling trafficking of illegal bugs 00:12:45.060 --> 00:12:46.187 is minimal in comparison 00:12:46.187 --> 00:12:48.355 to the money being made today. 00:12:48.439 --> 00:12:50.524 You're dealing with a monumental task 00:12:50.524 --> 00:12:53.027 to combat this type of trafficking. 00:12:53.110 --> 00:12:55.780 It's important that there are private citizens out there 00:12:55.863 --> 00:12:57.531 that are working with police departments 00:12:57.573 --> 00:12:59.867 to combat this illicit trade. 00:13:03.537 --> 00:13:06.081 Tarantulas are protected by Mexican law. 00:13:07.291 --> 00:13:08.793 But, I was seeing tarantulas 00:13:08.793 --> 00:13:11.086 in the market everywhere. 00:13:11.170 --> 00:13:12.213 Huge tarantulas. 00:13:12.296 --> 00:13:14.757 So that got me very, very, very scared. 00:13:16.342 --> 00:13:18.093 So I went to the authorities 00:13:18.093 --> 00:13:19.303 and I asked them, 00:13:19.386 --> 00:13:22.389 where are all those tarantulas coming from? 00:13:22.473 --> 00:13:23.891 They said, "We don't know." 00:13:23.974 --> 00:13:25.309 "What do you mean you don't know? 00:13:25.392 --> 00:13:26.852 Nobody's breeding them in captivity?" 00:13:26.936 --> 00:13:28.020 "Nobody." 00:13:28.020 --> 00:13:29.480 So they're coming from the wild. 00:13:30.439 --> 00:13:32.399 I'm gonna collect you. 00:13:32.900 --> 00:13:34.485 And nobody was doing anything 00:13:34.485 --> 00:13:35.653 because the black market 00:13:35.736 --> 00:13:37.822 of animals is like a cartel. 00:13:37.947 --> 00:13:40.491 It's a big one, it's a huge one, 00:13:40.533 --> 00:13:41.534 and it's a scary one. 00:13:44.036 --> 00:13:45.538 These organized groups 00:13:45.538 --> 00:13:46.872 use intimidation 00:13:46.956 --> 00:13:48.958 or any method to circumvent 00:13:48.999 --> 00:13:50.835 the criminal justice system. 00:13:50.918 --> 00:13:52.253 They definitely have the means 00:13:52.253 --> 00:13:54.839 and the ability to tamper with evidence. 00:13:54.922 --> 00:13:57.508 These trafficking networks have a reputation 00:13:57.591 --> 00:14:00.344 for being extremely ruthless. 00:14:00.427 --> 00:14:03.222 When I start to breed the tarantulas, 00:14:03.222 --> 00:14:04.181 the word went around. 00:14:10.771 --> 00:14:13.107 Somebody called me on the phone and say, 00:14:13.107 --> 00:14:15.484 "Hey, man, you're making a lot of noise. 00:14:15.568 --> 00:14:16.944 You better be careful." 00:14:16.944 --> 00:14:21.031 Alberto: I'm Luis Alberto Cayo Cervantes and 00:14:21.073 --> 00:14:23.409 I've worked for 15 years in wildlife 00:14:23.450 --> 00:14:25.786 rescue for institutions like Semarnat. 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:28.205 Semarnat's mission is to legislate 00:14:28.289 --> 00:14:29.874 everything that has to do with wildlife, 00:14:29.915 --> 00:14:32.084 natural resources. 00:14:32.293 --> 00:14:35.588 Collectors will go to great lengths, 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:37.298 even kill someone, 00:14:37.381 --> 00:14:40.384 to get their hands on 00:14:40.384 --> 00:14:41.844 a very specific item. 00:14:42.678 --> 00:14:45.848 Director: What do you think about the bug heist in Philadelphia? 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:47.850 Alberto: I think, 00:14:47.850 --> 00:14:48.684 I imagine, I believe that 00:14:48.726 --> 00:14:51.645 for a robbery of anthropods of such 00:14:51.687 --> 00:14:53.772 magnitude in Philadelphia 00:14:53.856 --> 00:14:56.817 they have a very specific 00:14:56.859 --> 00:14:59.862 trade somewhere 00:15:00.446 --> 00:15:03.073 7,000 specimens already assembled 00:15:03.115 --> 00:15:04.533 and processed is a lot of dollars. 00:15:05.784 --> 00:15:07.328 Well, what about the Philadelphia, 00:15:07.328 --> 00:15:09.371 that they stole 7,000 bugs? 00:15:09.455 --> 00:15:12.541 If the suspect is a tarantula guy, 00:15:12.625 --> 00:15:14.543 it doesn't surprise me at all. 00:15:14.627 --> 00:15:16.045 It doesn't surprise me at all. 00:15:16.128 --> 00:15:17.046 Director: Why not? 00:15:17.129 --> 00:15:19.798 These guys have no feelings. 00:15:19.882 --> 00:15:21.425 They have no heart. 00:15:21.508 --> 00:15:23.344 They don't care about the war. 00:15:23.427 --> 00:15:24.553 They're ... man. 00:15:28.182 --> 00:15:30.017 The people that trade tarantulas 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:31.936 in the black market are not good people. 00:15:35.189 --> 00:15:37.816 If these tarantulas were federal evidence 00:15:37.816 --> 00:15:39.026 and they were stolen, 00:15:39.109 --> 00:15:41.779 and whoever pulled this off 00:15:41.862 --> 00:15:42.905 is directly involved 00:15:42.905 --> 00:15:44.823 in some sort of organized crime. 00:15:44.907 --> 00:15:46.784 I needed to take a harder look 00:15:46.825 --> 00:15:48.869 at the people who work inside the Insectarium 00:15:48.994 --> 00:15:50.037 and who had any contact 00:15:50.079 --> 00:15:51.747 with dealing in the tarantulas. 00:16:04.009 --> 00:16:06.845 It's fair to say that Chris was becoming the focus 00:16:06.929 --> 00:16:08.681 of the investigation at that point. 00:16:10.724 --> 00:16:12.434 Further investigation showed 00:16:12.476 --> 00:16:15.187 that Chris was involved 00:16:15.270 --> 00:16:17.648 in the shady side of the hobby. 00:16:21.193 --> 00:16:22.653 His activities alone 00:16:22.653 --> 00:16:24.446 became a key part of the puzzle. 00:16:28.575 --> 00:16:30.661 Unfortunately, when looking into it, 00:16:30.744 --> 00:16:33.914 the Insectarium was lacking in maintaining proper records 00:16:33.998 --> 00:16:35.749 on the care 00:16:35.749 --> 00:16:37.584 and disposition of these animals. 00:16:37.668 --> 00:16:38.794 And it turns out that recordkeeping 00:16:38.836 --> 00:16:41.672 was Chris' responsibility. 00:16:41.755 --> 00:16:43.298 That by itself, uh, 00:16:43.298 --> 00:16:45.551 raises some eyebrows. 00:16:45.634 --> 00:16:48.804 It became clear that back in 2018 00:16:48.887 --> 00:16:50.764 leading up to the day of the heist, 00:16:50.848 --> 00:16:53.475 the Insectarium was not well run. 00:16:54.643 --> 00:16:55.853 And that was going 00:16:55.853 --> 00:16:57.104 to be more and more relevant. 00:16:57.187 --> 00:17:00.566 I don't think many people in that building 00:17:00.649 --> 00:17:02.109 had an idea what they were doing. 00:17:10.909 --> 00:17:12.911 I think the kids may have been running it 00:17:12.911 --> 00:17:14.121 how they felt it should be run. 00:17:18.042 --> 00:17:20.335 But it wasn't being run by the letter of the law 00:17:20.377 --> 00:17:22.087 and by USDA standards. 00:17:24.214 --> 00:17:25.090 Several employees 00:17:25.090 --> 00:17:27.342 were taking advantage of the situation 00:17:27.426 --> 00:17:30.554 and obtaining bugs that they wanted 00:17:30.637 --> 00:17:32.598 and not going through the proper channels 00:17:32.639 --> 00:17:33.432 to obtain them. 00:17:35.476 --> 00:17:38.270 The Insectarium potentially 00:17:38.312 --> 00:17:39.938 had exposure because of these practices. 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:41.648 So obviously, 00:17:41.648 --> 00:17:43.108 when you're buying these things, 00:17:43.192 --> 00:17:44.234 it's like a handgun. 00:17:44.318 --> 00:17:45.486 You just can't send it anywhere, 00:17:45.527 --> 00:17:46.737 it has to go to a place 00:17:46.820 --> 00:17:49.698 where they can verify who you are or what you do. 00:17:49.782 --> 00:17:51.700 And in this case, some of the employees 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:53.869 were using the Insectarium 00:17:53.952 --> 00:17:57.206 because it's known through the world. 00:17:57.247 --> 00:17:58.457 So when these suppliers 00:17:58.499 --> 00:17:59.458 were shipping things, 00:17:59.541 --> 00:18:00.501 they were shipping them 00:18:00.501 --> 00:18:01.794 right to the Insectarium 00:18:01.877 --> 00:18:02.836 for the employees 00:18:02.878 --> 00:18:04.671 who were then housing them there 00:18:04.755 --> 00:18:05.798 or even taking them home 00:18:05.798 --> 00:18:07.549 and keeping them in a shoebox. 00:18:08.383 --> 00:18:10.385 I believe the US Department of Agriculture 00:18:10.469 --> 00:18:13.388 under these circumstances could probably come in 00:18:13.472 --> 00:18:14.473 and with a court order 00:18:14.473 --> 00:18:15.516 shut down an operation 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:17.184 for not being compliant. 00:18:17.267 --> 00:18:17.935 It would be a disaster, 00:18:17.976 --> 00:18:18.936 so it would shut off all their, 00:18:18.977 --> 00:18:20.646 uh, sources of income. 00:18:21.230 --> 00:18:24.024 This could have brought a lot 00:18:24.066 --> 00:18:25.567 of negative attention to the Insectarium. 00:18:28.153 --> 00:18:31.406 If the facility knowingly was aware of these insects, 00:18:31.490 --> 00:18:33.242 they're obligated in the permit conditions 00:18:33.283 --> 00:18:34.827 to report that to us. 00:18:36.078 --> 00:18:38.413 We can either provide further restrictions, 00:18:38.497 --> 00:18:41.166 more frequent inspections, 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:44.837 we can also revoke or suspend their permit. 00:18:45.671 --> 00:18:49.133 So this can be an enormous problem. 00:18:49.216 --> 00:18:50.050 At that time here, 00:18:50.092 --> 00:18:52.052 it was a shit show, 00:18:52.136 --> 00:18:53.637 and I'm sorry to curse. 00:18:54.054 --> 00:18:55.097 Director: How so? 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:57.099 Okay. So let's rewind back 00:18:57.141 --> 00:18:59.101 to when everything went down. 00:19:03.939 --> 00:19:06.567 I get that phone call from John saying 00:19:06.650 --> 00:19:09.945 that Wlodek was in a lot of legal trouble 00:19:10.070 --> 00:19:12.865 for different insects and whatnot. 00:19:14.908 --> 00:19:17.494 Because Wlodek was tied to the Insectarium, 00:19:17.578 --> 00:19:20.330 it would be an open investigation 00:19:20.330 --> 00:19:21.415 for the USDA to check us out. 00:19:23.584 --> 00:19:25.711 So I talked to Chris, 00:19:25.711 --> 00:19:27.421 he immediately went upstairs. 00:19:28.714 --> 00:19:29.381 And at that point, 00:19:29.423 --> 00:19:30.966 it was brought to my attention 00:19:31.049 --> 00:19:33.468 that there was a giant African snail on property 00:19:33.552 --> 00:19:35.262 which is completely illegal 00:19:35.345 --> 00:19:37.389 and goes against every possible USDA regulation. 00:19:38.307 --> 00:19:40.475 The giant African snail 00:19:40.517 --> 00:19:43.437 is indigenous to Africa, I believe. 00:19:44.146 --> 00:19:46.106 The reason it's a big deal 00:19:46.106 --> 00:19:48.108 is because it's illegal to import. 00:19:48.192 --> 00:19:51.695 It's like super, super bad to have one. 00:19:51.778 --> 00:19:52.988 That's all I know. 00:19:54.364 --> 00:19:56.491 People have smaller dogs. 00:19:57.367 --> 00:20:00.120 They're, like, a football sized mollusk 00:20:00.204 --> 00:20:01.830 that could eat the stucco 00:20:01.830 --> 00:20:04.166 off the side of a building, literally. 00:20:04.541 --> 00:20:05.667 It contains calcium 00:20:05.751 --> 00:20:08.086 and the calcium helps to build their shells. 00:20:09.379 --> 00:20:12.466 I've seen one here, one here. 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:14.051 The snails also carry a parasite 00:20:14.051 --> 00:20:16.386 that can cause a form of meningitis, 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:18.847 potentially deadly to humans. 00:20:18.931 --> 00:20:21.350 The giant African snail 00:20:21.350 --> 00:20:23.310 is an extremely dangerous situation. 00:20:23.894 --> 00:20:25.729 The US Department of Agriculture 00:20:25.729 --> 00:20:27.105 have very clearly banned it 00:20:27.189 --> 00:20:28.732 from the United States. 00:20:28.815 --> 00:20:31.777 People want giant African land snails because they're attractive, 00:20:31.860 --> 00:20:34.738 but also that first word, giant. 00:20:35.697 --> 00:20:38.242 But we have made the decision 00:20:38.242 --> 00:20:40.077 not to allow permits for them. 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:43.080 It's just too big of a risk. 00:20:44.456 --> 00:20:46.041 Evidently, Chris kept 00:20:46.041 --> 00:20:48.001 the giant African snail somewhere 00:20:48.085 --> 00:20:49.753 up behind tanks 00:20:49.753 --> 00:20:51.880 where it was not visible. 00:20:53.590 --> 00:20:55.717 At that point, I contacted Chris, 00:20:55.801 --> 00:20:57.094 I said, "Where is the snail? 00:20:57.135 --> 00:20:58.220 You need to bring it down." 00:21:00.889 --> 00:21:02.933 He actually put it in a cooler 00:21:02.975 --> 00:21:04.518 and brought it in my office. 00:21:05.560 --> 00:21:07.187 Like, there you go. 00:21:07.271 --> 00:21:08.563 So immediately, 00:21:08.605 --> 00:21:10.857 my thing is to get rid of it. 00:21:10.941 --> 00:21:11.692 I mean, my name's 00:21:11.733 --> 00:21:13.777 on all these USDA permits. 00:21:13.860 --> 00:21:15.570 So immediately, 00:21:15.570 --> 00:21:16.905 took it, I froze it. 00:21:18.073 --> 00:21:20.993 After I froze it for 48 hours, 00:21:21.034 --> 00:21:22.077 I took it out. 00:21:24.788 --> 00:21:26.957 And I took a hammer and I just smashed it. 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:32.796 To complicate matters more, 00:21:32.879 --> 00:21:35.299 it was obvious either from reviewing the records 00:21:35.382 --> 00:21:38.176 or the lack of records 00:21:38.218 --> 00:21:39.261 that Chris was not being compliant 00:21:39.344 --> 00:21:40.637 in what was required 00:21:40.679 --> 00:21:42.014 of the Insectarium. 00:21:42.806 --> 00:21:44.141 A lot of these bugs 00:21:44.182 --> 00:21:46.476 pose serious agricultural risks. 00:21:46.643 --> 00:21:47.602 It's extremely important 00:21:47.602 --> 00:21:50.230 that they're carefully logged and tracked. 00:21:50.314 --> 00:21:51.523 It was Chris' responsibility 00:21:51.565 --> 00:21:52.816 to maintain those records, 00:21:52.899 --> 00:21:54.776 and is every indication that 00:21:54.818 --> 00:21:57.863 he was lacking in that responsibility. 00:21:59.614 --> 00:22:01.742 When we went to go check all of the records 00:22:01.825 --> 00:22:03.493 that Chris was supposed to be keeping, 00:22:03.577 --> 00:22:04.995 there was nothing. 00:22:05.579 --> 00:22:06.830 Like, for six months, 00:22:06.913 --> 00:22:08.749 no records of what animals 00:22:08.749 --> 00:22:09.666 we brought into the museum, 00:22:09.750 --> 00:22:11.209 what species we currently had, 00:22:11.251 --> 00:22:12.794 what had died. 00:22:12.836 --> 00:22:14.171 Like, all of these things are, like, 00:22:14.212 --> 00:22:15.339 basic pieces of information 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:16.882 that we're supposed to be keeping. 00:22:16.965 --> 00:22:19.092 And none of it, you know, was there. 00:22:19.176 --> 00:22:21.219 So I knew something was gonna happen. 00:22:21.303 --> 00:22:22.846 Something was gonna come down on Chris. 00:22:23.847 --> 00:22:25.849 With over 7,000 creatures here, 00:22:25.932 --> 00:22:29.061 we were reliant on Chris at this point, 00:22:29.144 --> 00:22:32.689 to sort of maintain all of the records 00:22:32.773 --> 00:22:35.609 and best practices that were required. 00:22:36.193 --> 00:22:37.778 Turns out, he wasn't. 00:22:37.861 --> 00:22:39.196 Chris was intimidating. 00:22:39.821 --> 00:22:40.572 He's gonna like, 00:22:40.614 --> 00:22:41.406 yell at us and bark at us, 00:22:41.448 --> 00:22:42.574 gotta be like, 00:22:42.574 --> 00:22:44.576 "Go back to your, like, area. 00:22:44.659 --> 00:22:45.827 You guys cannot be here." 00:22:45.827 --> 00:22:47.037 He seemed kind of dark. 00:22:47.120 --> 00:22:47.829 I don't know, uh, like, 00:22:47.871 --> 00:22:48.663 I don't wanna say dark 00:22:48.705 --> 00:22:49.873 but he seemed kind of dark. 00:22:49.956 --> 00:22:50.749 Sometimes, like, 00:22:50.749 --> 00:22:52.125 he definitely made me feel uncomfortable. 00:22:53.710 --> 00:22:54.336 Him and John 00:22:54.378 --> 00:22:56.004 were not really getting along 00:22:56.088 --> 00:22:56.838 because Chris 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:58.882 was asking for a lot of money. 00:23:00.550 --> 00:23:01.385 Like, every single week, 00:23:01.426 --> 00:23:03.095 the Animal Care Department 00:23:03.178 --> 00:23:05.639 is the most expensive department in the building, 00:23:05.722 --> 00:23:07.349 because it's the one that has the animals. 00:23:07.391 --> 00:23:08.809 It's the one that has to feed. 00:23:08.892 --> 00:23:09.684 It's the one that has 00:23:09.684 --> 00:23:11.353 all of the lighting and the aquariums. 00:23:11.436 --> 00:23:13.230 So, I think that 00:23:13.230 --> 00:23:14.523 there was this money clash 00:23:14.606 --> 00:23:16.358 between Chris and John. 00:23:17.317 --> 00:23:19.111 Based on the interviews of the employees, 00:23:19.194 --> 00:23:20.320 it was clear that there was 00:23:20.362 --> 00:23:21.530 some serious tension 00:23:21.613 --> 00:23:23.615 between John and Chris. 00:23:23.698 --> 00:23:26.827 Given, uh, Chris' history with John, 00:23:26.910 --> 00:23:28.203 the snail incident 00:23:28.245 --> 00:23:29.371 I think was the tipping point 00:23:29.454 --> 00:23:32.999 in separating his association with the Insectarium. 00:23:34.835 --> 00:23:36.503 I believe the snail put the business 00:23:36.503 --> 00:23:38.463 and the employees at risk 00:23:38.505 --> 00:23:40.841 and that was reason 00:23:40.841 --> 00:23:42.968 for John asking Chris to leave. 00:23:44.386 --> 00:23:45.846 When I found out that Chris 00:23:45.846 --> 00:23:47.639 had been bringing in these snails, 00:23:47.722 --> 00:23:50.142 I mean, this is something 00:23:50.142 --> 00:23:52.602 that is potentially threatening 00:23:52.686 --> 00:23:54.896 the entire ability of our museum 00:23:54.938 --> 00:23:57.190 to continue operating. 00:23:57.274 --> 00:23:58.900 I need to fire him. 00:23:58.984 --> 00:24:01.611 This isn't even a close one. 00:24:09.077 --> 00:24:10.162 The heist took place 00:24:10.162 --> 00:24:12.581 shortly after Chris was fired. 00:24:13.623 --> 00:24:14.666 That would be a serious red flag 00:24:14.708 --> 00:24:16.710 in any investigation. 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:20.755 And then more evidence developed. 00:24:22.048 --> 00:24:23.049 We have an update to a story 00:24:23.091 --> 00:24:24.593 Action News first brought you. 00:24:24.676 --> 00:24:26.553 We're getting a look at new surveillance video 00:24:26.636 --> 00:24:28.180 in the theft of insects and small reptiles 00:24:28.221 --> 00:24:30.515 in Northeast Philadelphia. 00:24:52.746 --> 00:24:53.872 I'm trying to solve the crime 00:24:53.872 --> 00:24:55.332 that happened at the Insectarium. 00:24:55.415 --> 00:24:56.416 It was important to go 00:24:56.458 --> 00:24:58.543 back to the days prior to the heist 00:24:58.627 --> 00:25:00.504 and reexamine all the details. 00:25:26.112 --> 00:25:28.490 Look here, 00:25:28.532 --> 00:25:30.617 it has lots of butterflies. 00:25:33.411 --> 00:25:35.247 So the week of the heist 00:25:35.288 --> 00:25:36.122 also just happened to be 00:25:36.206 --> 00:25:39.251 a hectic time in general at the Insectarium. 00:25:39.334 --> 00:25:42.087 I was extremely busy. 00:25:42.170 --> 00:25:44.923 The incident with Chris 00:25:44.923 --> 00:25:46.591 was problematic 00:25:46.675 --> 00:25:48.677 but I had other things I had to do. 00:25:49.928 --> 00:25:51.096 We were shorthanded, 00:25:51.137 --> 00:25:51.888 doing travel shows, 00:25:51.972 --> 00:25:54.599 schools, summer groups, everything. 00:25:55.475 --> 00:25:57.018 So I'm busily 00:25:57.060 --> 00:25:58.645 flying around Philadelphia 00:25:58.728 --> 00:26:01.189 trying to cover all of these programs 00:26:01.189 --> 00:26:03.692 that we kept having employees call out of. 00:26:04.484 --> 00:26:06.027 I was essentially out of the building 00:26:06.069 --> 00:26:07.279 for most of the week. 00:26:14.369 --> 00:26:15.787 But on Friday, um, 00:26:15.787 --> 00:26:18.957 I think it was towards the end of the day. 00:26:24.879 --> 00:26:27.299 I go upstairs to the third floor. 00:26:30.969 --> 00:26:32.804 And then I went to the back of house, 00:26:32.887 --> 00:26:33.680 it's like the area 00:26:33.722 --> 00:26:35.765 where we keep all of the creatures 00:26:35.849 --> 00:26:37.892 that aren't on the floor for exhibits. 00:26:37.976 --> 00:26:40.145 And that thing was empty. 00:26:44.941 --> 00:26:46.651 I go back out onto the floor 00:26:46.735 --> 00:26:47.944 and the tanks 00:26:47.986 --> 00:26:49.863 also don't have creatures in them. 00:26:54.993 --> 00:26:56.036 And there's, kind of, 00:26:56.036 --> 00:26:58.079 just like moment of, like... 00:26:59.456 --> 00:27:00.832 "The creatures are gone." 00:27:08.757 --> 00:27:10.091 After everything with Steve, 00:27:10.133 --> 00:27:11.718 after everything with Wlodek, 00:27:11.801 --> 00:27:14.554 and the giant African snail, 00:27:15.388 --> 00:27:17.390 this was like... yeah, of course, 00:27:17.474 --> 00:27:20.977 of course, like yeah, and oh, my God. 00:27:22.270 --> 00:27:25.315 So, I started reviewing the video footage. 00:27:27.817 --> 00:27:28.818 First off, for anyone 00:27:28.860 --> 00:27:30.278 who has ever tried to go through 00:27:30.362 --> 00:27:31.821 a bunch of security footage, 00:27:31.863 --> 00:27:34.157 that's actually not super easy. 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:35.200 You're talking about hours, 00:27:35.241 --> 00:27:36.910 and hours, and hours 00:27:36.993 --> 00:27:38.995 from every single angle. 00:27:41.373 --> 00:27:42.666 During the course of an investigation, 00:27:42.707 --> 00:27:44.834 especially a robbery investigation, 00:27:44.876 --> 00:27:46.544 video evidence is extremely important. 00:27:47.420 --> 00:27:49.631 Videotape can make a case 00:27:49.673 --> 00:27:51.466 or it can completely discount a case. 00:27:52.092 --> 00:27:53.385 In this particular case, 00:27:53.468 --> 00:27:56.429 there was a large volume of video evidence. 00:27:59.265 --> 00:28:00.141 Obviously, 00:28:00.183 --> 00:28:02.894 we had our suspicions about who it was. 00:28:02.977 --> 00:28:05.480 Chris, for sure. 00:28:05.563 --> 00:28:07.399 Allison, for sure. 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:09.859 And we found some interns 00:28:09.901 --> 00:28:11.403 that were walking out 00:28:11.486 --> 00:28:12.862 with some of the creatures. 00:28:16.574 --> 00:28:19.077 We needed to really look through the footage 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:20.453 and try and figure out 00:28:20.453 --> 00:28:21.371 exactly how many people 00:28:21.454 --> 00:28:23.248 were involved in this. 00:28:26.918 --> 00:28:29.212 So apparently, our Animal Care Department 00:28:29.254 --> 00:28:32.090 has spent the last two days 00:28:32.132 --> 00:28:34.092 systematically removing 00:28:34.175 --> 00:28:36.469 all of the creatures from the shelves, 00:28:36.511 --> 00:28:37.387 from the tanks, 00:28:37.470 --> 00:28:38.680 from the exhibits, everything. 00:28:39.472 --> 00:28:41.474 Bin after bin, after bin, 00:28:41.516 --> 00:28:42.809 after bin, after bin. 00:28:43.893 --> 00:28:46.646 It was as clear as it gets, 00:28:46.730 --> 00:28:50.692 Chris had been organizing the whole thing. 00:28:52.569 --> 00:28:55.447 Based on the history between John and Chris, 00:28:55.530 --> 00:28:57.824 after viewing the videotape, 00:28:57.907 --> 00:28:59.993 he drew the conclusion 00:28:59.993 --> 00:29:01.453 that Chris was responsible. 00:29:01.536 --> 00:29:04.080 John also maintained that Chris 00:29:04.080 --> 00:29:05.540 had been helped by the animal care team. 00:29:08.251 --> 00:29:11.296 I don't know the ins and outs of all of it, 00:29:11.379 --> 00:29:13.339 but I do know that 00:29:13.381 --> 00:29:16.050 there was a pact between Chris 00:29:16.134 --> 00:29:18.428 and a lot of people in the Animal Care Department 00:29:19.471 --> 00:29:22.766 that if he left or someone leaves, 00:29:22.807 --> 00:29:23.933 they all leave. 00:29:24.768 --> 00:29:26.478 And after everyone left, 00:29:26.478 --> 00:29:28.772 I realized the gravity of the situation. 00:29:31.649 --> 00:29:33.234 And then when they were done, 00:29:33.276 --> 00:29:34.903 they walked straight upstairs, 00:29:35.570 --> 00:29:36.946 took their jersey off, 00:29:36.988 --> 00:29:39.282 stabbed it against the wall 00:29:39.365 --> 00:29:40.784 with one of the large cutting knives 00:29:40.825 --> 00:29:42.035 that we chop vegetables 00:29:42.118 --> 00:29:43.119 for the creatures for. 00:29:44.788 --> 00:29:46.289 If someone steals something 00:29:46.331 --> 00:29:47.874 so that they can get a buck, 00:29:47.957 --> 00:29:48.958 that's not personal. 00:29:49.042 --> 00:29:51.419 But when someone stabs their work jersey 00:29:51.419 --> 00:29:52.837 into the side of the wall 00:29:52.921 --> 00:29:54.881 with a 12-inch blade, 00:29:54.881 --> 00:29:56.466 it feels a little more personal. 00:29:57.342 --> 00:29:59.302 I think that was their way of just saying. 00:29:59.385 --> 00:30:00.428 "... you. 00:30:00.428 --> 00:30:02.388 Hope this place rots in hell." 00:30:02.472 --> 00:30:03.473 I just don't think 00:30:03.515 --> 00:30:05.391 they were smart enough to realize 00:30:05.475 --> 00:30:06.976 that to the extreme 00:30:07.018 --> 00:30:09.854 measures they went, 00:30:09.938 --> 00:30:10.939 that we had no other choice 00:30:10.939 --> 00:30:12.273 but to contact the law. 00:30:13.233 --> 00:30:14.901 I went to the police 00:30:14.901 --> 00:30:16.986 and reported the crime. 00:30:17.070 --> 00:30:20.990 The police came in with the best intentions. 00:30:21.074 --> 00:30:22.450 John handed over the video 00:30:22.534 --> 00:30:24.452 and indicated that Chris 00:30:24.494 --> 00:30:25.745 was the person responsible. 00:30:27.455 --> 00:30:29.666 However, that night when we're, like, 00:30:29.749 --> 00:30:31.167 "Hey, police officer, here's a video 00:30:31.167 --> 00:30:33.753 of the person stealing all of our stuff." 00:30:33.837 --> 00:30:35.505 "Yeah, they're gonna go over to his house." 00:30:43.429 --> 00:30:45.932 They go into Chris' room 00:30:45.932 --> 00:30:48.476 and it is absolutely covered 00:30:48.560 --> 00:30:50.895 with little tiny containers 00:30:50.937 --> 00:30:52.939 of all of our insects all over the place. 00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:57.235 And because we failed to call the USDA 00:30:57.318 --> 00:30:59.571 before we called the police, 00:30:59.654 --> 00:31:01.781 they went running in there without anyone 00:31:01.781 --> 00:31:03.950 who knew how to identify these things. 00:31:04.033 --> 00:31:04.701 It's fair to say 00:31:04.742 --> 00:31:05.660 that the initial search 00:31:05.743 --> 00:31:07.704 of Chris' residence did not go very well. 00:31:07.787 --> 00:31:09.706 I know that the FBI 00:31:09.747 --> 00:31:11.249 checked up on Chris 00:31:11.332 --> 00:31:12.625 and was like, "Oh, do you have like this 00:31:12.667 --> 00:31:16.170 whatever random species of tarantula?" 00:31:16.254 --> 00:31:17.714 If they brought an actual agent 00:31:17.714 --> 00:31:19.883 who knew what tarantula was stolen 00:31:19.966 --> 00:31:21.676 or what species of roach was stolen, 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:23.553 they would have caught them red-handed. 00:31:24.345 --> 00:31:25.597 The Philadelphia Police, 00:31:25.597 --> 00:31:27.348 no disrespect to them, 00:31:27.432 --> 00:31:30.226 they don't know the difference between an exotic insect 00:31:30.310 --> 00:31:31.311 or one you would find on the sidewalk 00:31:31.311 --> 00:31:33.271 on the side of the street. 00:31:33.354 --> 00:31:35.481 I'm not a bug guy. I'm not a bug expert. 00:31:35.565 --> 00:31:37.817 I couldn't identify the difference 00:31:37.901 --> 00:31:39.611 between the Insectariums insects 00:31:39.611 --> 00:31:41.654 or Chris' insects. 00:31:42.238 --> 00:31:44.365 This guy's like, "Kids, you got 00:31:44.407 --> 00:31:45.992 an AG... what's an AG gigas?" 00:31:47.285 --> 00:31:48.745 So that's a Giant African millipede, 00:31:48.828 --> 00:31:50.496 except they didn't have anyone there 00:31:50.496 --> 00:31:51.706 who could actually confirm what that was. 00:31:51.748 --> 00:31:52.832 And so he's like, 00:31:52.874 --> 00:31:54.042 "These are all my pets." 00:31:56.127 --> 00:31:58.796 And so Chris was not arrested. 00:32:01.341 --> 00:32:02.967 The investigation is ongoing. 00:32:03.051 --> 00:32:04.802 Our partners in the federal agencies 00:32:04.844 --> 00:32:05.720 have joined us. 00:32:05.803 --> 00:32:07.221 Let's fast forward a week later, 00:32:07.305 --> 00:32:10.767 when the FBI is now involved and the USDA. 00:32:10.850 --> 00:32:11.935 What does that do? 00:32:12.018 --> 00:32:14.687 It has the FBI now going through the video 00:32:14.771 --> 00:32:15.647 and seeing what 00:32:15.647 --> 00:32:17.565 they can find on the cameras? 00:32:17.649 --> 00:32:19.150 Well, there's a big problem with that 00:32:19.233 --> 00:32:21.319 because everything was taken out 00:32:21.402 --> 00:32:24.197 in these big gray and black totes 00:32:24.197 --> 00:32:25.156 like a big tote things. 00:32:26.616 --> 00:32:27.700 It's fair to say 00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:29.535 the FBI did not see the video 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:32.330 as the smoking gun John thought it was. 00:32:32.413 --> 00:32:33.122 Even though 00:32:33.164 --> 00:32:34.666 we have Chris and Allison 00:32:34.749 --> 00:32:35.667 and every other member 00:32:35.667 --> 00:32:37.543 who walked out with stuff, 00:32:37.627 --> 00:32:39.003 walking out with what is 00:32:39.003 --> 00:32:41.923 indisputably containers of creatures, 00:32:42.006 --> 00:32:44.050 they were not arrested 00:32:44.092 --> 00:32:45.635 and the case is still open. 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:52.809 The FBI agent says to me, 00:32:52.809 --> 00:32:54.894 "We can't tell what's in those bins." 00:32:54.978 --> 00:32:57.438 They have got to be able to charge them 00:32:57.480 --> 00:32:58.773 with specifics. 00:32:59.732 --> 00:33:01.818 The law enforcement agencies, 00:33:01.818 --> 00:33:03.945 the USDA, the FBI, 00:33:04.028 --> 00:33:05.405 the Philadelphia Police, 00:33:05.488 --> 00:33:06.280 they promised us 00:33:06.322 --> 00:33:07.740 they were going to handle it. 00:33:07.824 --> 00:33:10.243 Chris ended up being 00:33:10.284 --> 00:33:12.704 a tremendous bag of .... 00:33:12.787 --> 00:33:14.122 I mean, Chris very nearly took 00:33:14.122 --> 00:33:16.040 the entire museum down. 00:33:21.963 --> 00:33:23.464 Director: Okay, you can have a seat 00:33:23.548 --> 00:33:24.966 whenever you're ready. 00:33:30.388 --> 00:33:32.432 My name's Chris and we're here 00:33:32.473 --> 00:33:34.350 to make the record straight. 00:33:38.271 --> 00:33:41.399 I've never quite felt rage 00:33:41.482 --> 00:33:42.984 the way that I did 00:33:43.317 --> 00:33:45.570 when John accused me 00:33:45.570 --> 00:33:47.071 of stealing all of his insects. 00:33:47.655 --> 00:33:49.782 I mean, how would you feel 00:33:49.782 --> 00:33:51.909 if the FBI came to your house 00:33:53.036 --> 00:33:54.871 looking for $50,000 of insects 00:33:54.871 --> 00:33:56.748 that don't exist? 00:34:03.463 --> 00:34:04.130 This story 00:34:04.130 --> 00:34:05.631 took on a life of its own. 00:34:05.715 --> 00:34:06.924 What else could he lie about? 00:34:07.008 --> 00:34:08.468 It was absolutely shocking. 00:34:09.052 --> 00:34:10.261 We all started having the police 00:34:10.303 --> 00:34:11.888 show up at our house. 00:34:12.638 --> 00:34:14.140 All eyes were on us, 00:34:14.140 --> 00:34:15.475 and it was scary. 00:34:15.558 --> 00:34:17.560 Chrissy was always presenting herself 00:34:17.560 --> 00:34:18.811 to be completely on our side. 00:34:18.895 --> 00:34:21.647 I found out I was missing $19,000. 00:34:21.731 --> 00:34:23.149 And I said, "What's going on?" 00:34:23.232 --> 00:34:24.317 He says, "Well, eff you." 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:25.485 Either it's all of these people 00:34:25.485 --> 00:34:27.528 who aren't being truthful, 00:34:27.612 --> 00:34:30.239 or it's you who's not being truthful. 00:34:31.324 --> 00:34:32.533 I'm gonna take a break.