EASY PREY! NEW YORK MAN CONVICTED FOR ILLEGALLY KEEPING SEVEN SHARKS IN HIS ABOVE-GROUND POOL

A New York man has found himself in hot water for raising a protected species of sharks in a pool at his house, government officials said.

In July 2017, a Department of Natural Resources investigator in Georgia arrested Joshua Seguine, 40, “for driving without a license and for possessing five undersized sharks in a large circular tank in the back of his truck,” states a news release from the New York Attorney General obtained by FrontPageDetectives.

Seguine admitted he was bringing the aquatic creatures up north to sell and that he had five more live sharks at his home in LaGrangeville. 

The DNR investigator notified the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and officers with the agency secured a warrant to search Seguine’s property.

The Department of Environmental Conservation — with the aid of biologists from the Long Island Aquarium and the New York Aquarium at Coney Island — “discovered an above-ground pool in Seguine’s house that contained seven live sharks,” the release notes, adding, “The sharks were subsequently identified as sandbar sharks, the possession of which is prohibited by New York law without a special license.”

The search also turned up three dead sharks — a hammerhead and two leopard sharks — and the snout of a smalltooth sawfish, which is an endangered species, according to the release.

Seguine, who conducted business as Aquatic Apex Life LLC, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal commercialization of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and wildlife. He was sentenced in 2021 to a conditional discharge and must pay a $5,000 fine.

The seven sharks found in Seguine’s pool were eventually transferred to live at the New York Aquarium. 

“The tide has turned for Joshua Seguine, who was convicted and held accountable for his unlawful acts,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “Let this serve as a loud and clear message: We will not tolerate anyone who preys on protected species to line their pockets.”