The 31-year-old man who is still facing trial in San Francisco for grand theft and second-degree burglary in the theft of a 22-year-old ring-tailed lemur from the San Francisco Zoo last fall is now facing federal charges.
Cory McGilloway, who's listed as a Los Angeles resident but was bopping around the Bay Area and charged with multiple crimes last October, now faces a charge of violating the Endangered Species Act. Ring-tailed lemurs, native to Madagascar, are endangered, and McGilloway could face an extra year in jail and a $50,000 fine for the abduction.
As you may recall, Maki the lemur disappeared from the zoo on the night of October 13, and immediately authorities began suspecting that the theft might be connected with the black-market sale of exotic pets — with adorable lemurs being especially prized.
It's not clear what McGilloway's motives were, and he reportedly suffers from mental illness. As NBC Bay Area reports, the day after Maki's disappearance, a woman reported seeing McGilloway walking the lemur on a leash on Treasure Island. And on October 15, the lemur was spotted by children in a playground in Daly City, and he was safely returned to the zoo — unharmed but hungry and dehydrated.
McGilloway was arrested and separately charged that same day in the theft of a garbage truck in Marin County, just to give you an idea of the week he was having. He was also charged with shoplifting and concealing stolen property, and received probation in that case. He was also ordered to take his prescribed medication and to receive mental-health treatment.
He made a court appearance in the lemur-napping in January in San Francisco, and was ordered released from custody pending trial for second degree burglary, grand theft, and vandalism. He was also ordered to stay away from the zoo.
According to BrokeAss Stuart today, McGilloway jumped bail in SF when he traveled to Los Angeles, and he was arrested again there recently — the circumstances of that arrest are unclear.
McGilloway made his first appearance in federal court on Monday on the Endangered Species Act charge, per NBC Bay Area. He appeared via video, and is awaiting extradition back to the Bay Area.
Maki, meanwhile, celebrated his 22nd birthday at the Lipman Family Lemur Forest in the zoo back in March, with a special lemur-safe cupcake. He's already quite old for a lemur, with their average lifespan being around 18 years.
Related: Suspect In Lemur-napping At SF Zoo Released From Jail, Told to Stay Away From Zoo
Photo: SF Zoo/Marin County Sheriff
