Trisha Meyer: 'Exotic erotic' animal trafficker on the run after selling jaguar cub to man for $30K
HOUSTON, TEXAS: Mimi Erotic is a fugitive animal dealer who has been wreaking havoc on both people and animals for more than a decade. Trisha Denise Meyer is her real name and she is currently on the run after the authorities issued a warrant for her arrest for four offenses including the unlawful sale and transportation of a jaguar.
Regardless of where she goes, the 40-year-old woman has been breeding, marketing, and selling animals for years in places ranging from Texas to California to Colorado. Meyer goes by several names; some people call her Trisha, some Trissa, some Mimi, and others Emily. She used the popular Instagram handles @mimisexoticworld and @mimiseroticworld. The latter Instagram handle, which is still functional, has explicit videos and images of Meyer wearing scanty lingerie with animal prints.
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Law enforcement is looking for Trisha Denise Meyer, a.k.a. "Mimi," 40, of Houston, Texas, who is charged in a federal indictment alleging she illegally transported and sold a live jaguar cub. The jaguar later was re-sold and abandoned, and now lives at an animal sanctuary in CA. pic.twitter.com/WOsiOEdov3
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) October 5, 2022
"Law enforcement is looking for Trisha Denise Meyer, aka "Mimi," 40, of Houston, Texas, who is charged in a federal indictment alleging she illegally transported and sold a live jaguar cub. The jaguar later was re-sold and abandoned, and now lives at an animal sanctuary in CA," the US Attorney LA's official Twitter account posted.
Meyer appears to have a history of abusing animals, and her history of deception goes all the way back. People who had unpleasant encounters with her have posted a number of complaints online from various states about her on complaintsboard.com.
In the autumn of 2016, it was discovered that Meyer, who also homeschooled her young children, had tigers, a skunk, a fox, and many monkeys roaming throughout her Houston home. Officers were called to the scene to look into reports that Meyer had conned a California man out of $3,000 to buy an exotic Savannah kitten; however, the cat never showed up despite the man sending the money to an account in her daughter's name.
An officer from the Houston Police Department and a Texas game warden then went to Meyer's home to question her. However, when they arrived, they discovered a collection of animals, including a giant male tiger that Meyer claimed she only locked up when she left the house, roaming around free.
Meyer had originally been charged with child endangerment, but the allegation was later dismissed. In 2017, she plead guilty to a theft charge with a two-year deferred adjudication, according to KSAT. "It's been a nightmare for my kids and I because I've been portrayed in the media as having had a mountain lion in the house, tigers in the house, foxes, skunks all loose together, which has never happened. It's just been a nightmare trying to prove my innocence," she told reporters after pleading guilty.
Later, Meyer made an announcement about starting her OnlyFans account, and by March 2021 it appears that she had expanded onto other revenue streams. The following month, she started a transaction that ultimately led to her becoming a wanted criminal today.
Meyer agreed to sell a jaguar cub for $30,000 to a man named Abdul Rahman in California, who would then relocate the endangered animal there for a fee, according to court documents. He had became interested in buying the Jaguar after taking pictures of it in a hotel room during a car exhibition in Austin.
"Rahman did not know how to take care of the jaguar and... quickly became dissatisfied and wanted to get rid of the jaguar by selling it to someone else but was concerned that he would lose money in the transaction," the affidavit states. He did, however, make a loss when he sold the cub, and since the new owner's live-in partner was expecting, they were reasonably worried about having a jaguar around a baby.
This jaguar cub was illegally sold for approximately $30,000 and transported from Texas to California in the spring of 2021. The animal was re-sold, abandoned and now lives at an animal sanctuary in San Diego County. Two individuals face federal criminal charges in this case. pic.twitter.com/bvYlAqCvnl
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) October 5, 2022
The jaguar was left in a cage at the refuge Lions, Tigers and Bears after hours after a buddy persuaded the new owners to let him to drop the animal off there. Investigators eventually located Meyer by tracing the jaguar's marks, using social media and traditional methods like legwork.
The Houston woman was charged last week with trafficking endangered species, interstate sale of an endangered species, trafficking prohibited wildlife species, and interstate transit of an endangered species in the course of commercial activity. Rahman was accused of trafficking illegal wildlife species, transporting an endangered species across state lines for commercial purposes, and dealing in endangered animals.
The accusations are related to breaches of the Lacey Act, which forbids the trade in wildlife, and the Endangered Species Act, which protects jaguars, according to the Department of Justice. Given Meyer's tendency to change her names, states, and appearances, as well as the possibility that many of her "victims" may actually be seeking for shady dealings, it is impossible to determine exactly how many individuals she may have defrauded. Authorities are now unable to locate Meyer and she is still wanted by the law, the Department of Justice confirmed to the Independent on Tuesday, October 11.