Chris Brown found himself embroiled in a legal scandal on Wednesday (March 2) when his monkey dealer pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking charges.
Court documents claim that Jim Hammonds, the exotic animal breeder also known as “The Monkey Whisperer,” illegally sold the singer a capuchin monkey back in 2017 for a total of $12,650. Prosecutors further alleged that Hammonds conducted the sale in Nevada to make it appear that a resident of the state had purchased the primate, since possessing one as a pet is illegal in Brown’s home state of California.
Hammonds was ultimately arrested after PETA alerted the government that the “Iffy” singer owned the monkey as a pet. While Brown, who was listed as “Person 1” in court records, was forced to turn the capuchin over in 2017, his breeder now faces up to five years in prison for one charge of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking, three additional years for three counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, and fines of up to $400,000 followed by six years of supervised release on parole.
“Exotic animals are not playthings, fashion accessories, or Instagram props for celebrities, and they’re not a business venture, either,” said Michelle Sinnott, the PETA Foundation’s associate director of captive animal law enforcement, said in a statement. “Many animal advocates alerted PETA to Chris Brown’s illegal possession of this monkey, and they helped us take down a cruel and criminal breeder.”
Brown has recently faced his own share of lawsuits as a defendant as well, including a copyright suit with Drake over their 2019 collaboration “No Guidance.” At the end of January, an anonymous woman also sued the singer for $20 million, alleging he had drugged and raped her aboard a yacht outside Diddy’s home in the exclusive Miami enclave of Star Island in December 2020.