Accused of smuggling exotic meats, Liberian asserts religious Freedom

By FRANK DONNELLY, Staten Island Advance STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In a clash of cultures playing out in Brooklyn federal court, a Staten Island woman claims she has the right to eat monkey parts in keeping with her religious beliefs. That's hooey, counter prosecutors, who contend that Mamie Manneh Jefferson, of the West Brighton section, illegally imported pieces of protected wildlife that carry the risk of "numerous" infectious diseases. In addition, the Liberian native failed to show that eating the meat shipped from Guinea "arises from a sincere religious belief," they argue. In a brief filed Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Green asked a judge to reject Ms. Jefferson's motion to dismiss smuggling charges against her.