abstract:John Edward Laroche (born 19 February 1962 in Florida) is an American horticulturalist who was arrested for alleged orchid poaching while working for the Seminole in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve in Florida. The subsequent trial brought him to the attention of Susan Orlean who wrote an article for New Yorker and the book The Orchid Thief about him.
We see that story: Orlean (Meryl Streep) tags along with JohnLaroche (Chris Cooper), a Florida man who was arrested while stealing a rare form of orchid from a state wilderness preserve.