No More Monkey Business! Notorious Animal Dealer Who Sold Capuchin to Chris Brown Sentenced to Prison

What does Chris Brown have to do with an illegal monkey trafficking case? More than you might think.

Jimmy Hammonds, the notorious wildlife trafficker who ridiculously branded himself “the Monkey Whisperer,” will spend time behind bars after violating probation he was serving for unlawfully selling a capuchin monkey to Brown, a case prompted by a 2017 PETA complaint. Now, a federal judge has revoked that probation, sentencing him to four months in prison, followed by 30 months of supervised release.

This update comes just one week after Hammonds received a nine-month federal prison sentence for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act—a U.S. law that prohibits the trade of illegally possessed, transported, or sold wildlife—and wildlife trafficking after selling two marmosets to an undercover agent. Hammonds was also banned from possessing, breeding, selling, transporting, or exhibiting any wildlife.

This latest ruling sends a clear message that illegal wildlife trafficking will not be tolerated and removes a repeat offender from an industry rife with abuse.

PETA Tipped Off Authorities to Chris Brown’s Illegal ‘Pet’ Capuchin Monkey

In 2017, PETA alerted California officials to Brown’s unlawful possession of the capuchin, which resulted in the animal’s seizure by the state and two misdemeanor charges levied at Brown. According to the search warrant affidavit, it was PETA’s complaint regarding Brown that triggered law enforcement to investigate Hammonds. The affidavit also indicates that officials believed that Hammonds had sold two spider monkeys to rapper Swae Lee. PETA also alerted California wildlife officials to Lee’s unlawful possession of these primates, which led to the seizure of at least one of them.

Hammonds Plead Guilty to Wildlife Trafficking

In March 2022, following PETA’s complaint, the Florida-based dealer behind the sale was indicted in federal court and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking and three counts of violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Hammonds pleaded guilty to the wildlife trafficking conspiracy charge stemming from his $12,650 sale of a capuchin monkey to Brown in 2017. According to court records, Hammonds had the monkey transported to Nevada to make it appear that a local resident had purchased the animal, when, in fact, Brown (listed as “Person 1” in the indictment) resides in California, where possessing a capuchin monkey as a “pet” is illegal. Hammonds’ guilty pleas over violations of the ESA stem from his sale of endangered cotton-top tamarins to residents of Alabama, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

“The Monkey Whisperer’s” Initial Sentencing

In June 2022, a federal judge in Tampa, Florida, sentenced Hammonds to five years of probation, including less than a year of home detention, and a $90,000 fine. It was this probation that Hammonds later violated, leading to his four-month federal prison sentence.

Monkeys and other exotic animals are not “pets.”

Exotic animals kept as “pets” are often bred in captivity by criminal dealers, torn away from their mothers as babies, sold to anyone with a big enough bank account, denied any chance at a natural life, and forced to do whatever their owner chooses for a few social media “likes.”

In their natural habitats, baby capuchin monkeys spend several months, even years, by their mothers’ sides. However, those used as “pets” are typically torn away from their mothers as infants. These monkeys are intelligent, curious, and highly social animals who naturally live in large groups. A human home denies them mental stimulation and opportunities for social interaction with other monkeys, which can lead to frustration and depression. Monkeys kept as “pets” can and will bite humans.

PETA encourages anyone who sees exotic animals being exploited by celebrities on social media to forward the evidence to authorities and to PETA, as many animal advocates did with Chris Brown and Swae Lee—a move that helped bring down a prolific exotic-animal breeder.