Florida Man Arrested For storing and mistreating African geckos

A Florida man has admitted to felony animal cruelty in a case involving more than 100 neglected reptiles, state wildlife officials announced Friday.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Kelvin E. Soto, a former licensed reptile exhibitor and seller, pleaded guilty on August 14. The case began in November 2023 when Soto failed to pay for a storage unit in Osceola County.

When storage company staff prepared the unit for auction, they uncovered a disturbing scene: 111 African fat-tailed geckos confined in individual containers. Forty-one were already dead, some reduced to skeletal remains, investigators said. Containers were described as filthy, and no food or water was found. Authorities determined the unit had not been visited in more than two months.

Detectives quickly tied Soto to the animals, leading to a warrant for his arrest. He was eventually located in Virginia, taken into custody by local law enforcement, and extradited to Florida to face charges.

As part of a plea deal, Soto accepted responsibility this week. His sentence includes four years of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service, and more than $5,000 in restitution to the facility that cared for surviving geckos during the lengthy case. He was also barred from possessing or having contact with any animals and ordered to surrender the remaining reptiles in his custody.

“This case is a powerful example of the work our Captive Wildlife Investigators do every day,” said Maj. John Wilke, FWC Captive Wildlife Section Leader. “Their dedication, thoroughness and persistence ensured accountability for the mistreatment of these animals and justice for the ones that survived.”

The FWC encouraged the public to report wildlife violations by calling its Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922) or submitting a tip online at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.