A Ventura County man who was arrested for importing wild animals into the United States, fled to Tijuana after he was released on bond, and then was recaptured, has pleaded guilty on federal criminal charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday. Jose Manuel Perez, aka “Julio Rodriguez,” allegedly illegally imported more than 1,700 wild animals into the United States, mostly from Mexico and Hong Kong. The total market value of the imported animals exceeds $739,000. The 30-year-old from Oxnard pleaded guilty to two counts of smuggling goods into the United States and one count of wildlife trafficking. The animals included Yucatan box turtles, Mexican box turtles, baby crocodiles, and Mexican beaded lizards. Perez and his accomplices used social media to smuggle the wildlife into the country from January 2016 until February 2022. On Feb. 25, 2022, Perez was arrested while attempting to enter the United States with 60 reptiles on his person, hidden in his clothing in small bags, according to Ciaran McEvoy, public information officer for the Central District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Three of the reptiles died during his smuggling attempt. On May 16, Perez was ordered released on bond. Then, on June 5, the day before a court hearing he had requested, Perez removed his ankle bracelet and fled to Tijuana. On June 16, Perez was captured in Mexico and returned to the United States. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each smuggling count and up to five years in federal prison for the wildlife trafficking count.