An animals control officer on disability housed 850 snakes, including two six-foot burnese pythons, while running an illegal snake business out of his suburban New York home CNN reported.
Brookhave N.Y. resident Richard Parrinello reportedly had the animals in a detached garage. According to Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the repitles were at proper room temperature.
After the discovery, brought on by suspicion that Parrinello was fraudulently using workers compensation, the pythons were taken from his house to a reptile sanctuary in Massachusetts as they are illegal to have in the state of New York. The rest of the snakes remained in his garage according to Jack Krieger, communications director for the Long Island town.
"It was a well-maintained facility, it was very clean and organized, it was a business," Krieger told CNN.
The snakes were healthy and did not look like they had been abused or neglected. Brookhaven supervisor Ed Romaine said the weird thing about the incident was its business aspect.
"What makes this case especially egregious is that this individual was allegedly operating this reptile business out of his home, posing an unknown threat to the neighbors of this community," he said.
After several weeks of investigation, the town of Brookhaven, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Suffolk County Police and the SPCA executed a search warrant in Parrinello's home where he resides with his wife and 10-year-old son CNN reported.
Investigators also found Parrinello had $500,000 in inventory stored on the premises, including snakes, turtles, turtle eggs and tarantulas, along with a couple of freezers with frozen mice and alligator carcasses.
Krieger told CNN Parrinello was not arrested or charged with any criminal activity, but violated town code for operating a business out of his residence. Several more violations were likely as Brookhaven's law department continues its investigation.
Parrinello has already been given two summonses for possessing wild animals without a permit and for possessing alligator parts without a permit according to department of environmental conservation spokesman Peter Constantakes. Each comes with a maximum fine of $250.
