Photo of box turtles, from the complaint in case U.S. v. Wan Yee Ng. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Border Patrol BURLINGTON — The woman who pleaded guilty to international smuggling of protected turtles will not serve more time in jail but will be deported to Hong Kong, a federal court judge in Burlington ruled Friday.Wan Yee Ng, 41, of Hong Kong, was arrested earlier this year for trying to smuggle 29 protected turtles from the United States into Canada, where she was living with her husband and two children. She intended to transport the turtles from Canaan, Vermont by kayak on Lake Wallace, a body of water that is bisected by the U.S.-Canada border.Ng, who has been held in jail since her arrest six months ago, will be barred from entering the U.S., according to Judge Christina Reiss. “You knew they (the turtles) were going to be sold in Hong Kong. It’s not even clear this is the first time it happened, ” said Reiss. “Hopefully you’ll never be engaged in this activity again.”The sentencing decision aligned with the defense team’s argument that Ng should return to Hong Kong and be released without supervision. Her attorney, Mark Kaplan, argued in court that the scheme was never Ng’s idea.“She would never have thought of it on her own. It was her husband’s activity and she argued against it,” Kaplan said. He said Ng was not making excuses but added, “she was pressured into this.” Kaplan ended his argument by saying Ng had already faced significant punishment, being imprisoned for six months in jail and unable to raise her children in Canada.Kaplan said that Ng’s husband took their two children to Hong Kong not long after Ng’s arrest.READ MORE Ng caught law enforcement’s attention after repeatedly renting an Airbnb on Jackson Lodge Road in Canaan, a site previously tied to human smuggling and other crimes.According to court records, border patrol agents in June found Ng carrying a duffel bag containing 29 Eastern Box turtles worth over $40,000. The turtles are among the most trafficked animals in the world, often targeted by criminal networks for sale on black markets in Hong Kong and other Asian cities, court records stated.“I sincerely apologize for what I did. I definitely learned my lesson,” Ng told the judge before hearing her sentence. Ng didn’t need the money from selling the turtles, according to Kaplan, who said she only did it to “keep the peace in the household.”Federal prosecutors agreed with the defense team in requesting a sentence of time served.“The government respectfully recommends that the Court sentence the defendant to time served which will be at the low end of the applicable guidelines,” read a pre-sentencing memo filed by the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Aliberti, who prosecuted the case, also made note of the fact that Ng and her husband have significant assets. Having reviewed their text messages, he said he believed it was a collaborative effort. The government will begin processing Ng’s deportation next week.Read the story on VTDigger here: Woman who pleaded guilty to international turtle smuggling avoids more jail time.