Closing the curtain on a four-year saga that raised issues of freedom of religion and freedom of speech, a West Brighton woman was sentenced today to three years’ probation for smuggling illegal monkey parts, known as bushmeat, into the country.
Ms. Manneh and members of Christ Memorial Christian Church, which she attended in Stapleton, maintained that eating primate parts conforms with their religious beliefs. Doing so imbues them with the cunning and agile animal’s spiritual power while also helping them "get closer to God."
The wildlife parts carry the risk of "numerous" infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and Ebola.
The judge said her faith didn’t bar Ms. Manneh from applying for the necessary permits to import the animal parts, and she did not explain why she had misled border officials.
It gets worse. Manneh is already serving a two-year sentence in state prison for trying to run over a woman she suspected of sleeping with her husband, Zanger Jefferson. If convicted of the federal charges she faces up to five more years in prison and deportation. “The government’s taking a woman away from her children,” complained Jefferson, who’s struggling to raise the children alone. “It’s very depressing, especially with the holidays right around the corner.”
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