FL man who sells monkeys to MS rapper and Chris Brown pleads guilty to animal trafficking

Mississippi raised rapper Swae Lee has found himself in the cross hairs of PETA following the arrest of his monkey dealer.

Jimmy Hammonds, a Florida man also known as “the Monkey Whisperer,” pleaded guilty to having violated the Endangered Species Act and Lacy Act after selling a Capuchin to music star Chris Brown in a wildlife trafficking conspiracy.

Hammonds, 57, is also Lee’s monkey dealer. Lee is part of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd.

Hammonds illegally sold cotton-top Tamarins, which are listed on the endangered species list, according to the Department of Justice. He faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison.

PETA first went after Lee in 2019 after they filed a complaint Lee had a spider monkey, Lil G, seized from his house.

Lee also has a Capuchin monkey he bought for $20,000, according to a profile in Rolling Stone.

PETA believes people should not own monkeys as pets because they are often taken away from their mothers as babies, which deprives them of a chance to live a typical life.

Oddly, Lee in the past has praised PETA despite owning exotic animals.

“I like wildlife. I wanna go in the jungle and see elephants and s***,” Lee said in the Rolling Stone profile, adding that he is against hunters who poach exotic animals.

“They corny for that. Shout out to PETA,” he said in the story.

Lee and other celebrities have been criticized by PETA for using exotic animals as “props” on social media.

Sentencing for Hammonds has not yet been set.

This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 1:47 PM.