Global biodiversity is imperiled by illegal wildlife trade. Illegal wildlife are confiscated by law enforcement, wildlife biologists, or other authorities, providing the opportunity to reintroduce these individuals back into the wild. However, with the reintroduction of confiscated animals back into the wild comes many risks and uncertainties of introducing disease and deleterious alleles to naive wild populations. Chapter 1 explores the advantages and challenges of translocations, alongside theoretical and empirical evidence on genetic and disease risk of these introductions. In chapter 2, I investigated the effects of introducing disease and deleterious alleles to wild turtle populations, focusing on the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) as a case study due to their demand in the illegal wildlife trade. Using a population projection model, I parameterized the population matrix using a combination of literature review and data analysis. Calculating the deterministic and stochastic population growth rates, considering genetics and diseases risks, I projected population sizes in 20 years under a variety of scenarios of confiscated introduced turtles. Sensitivity analysis identifies parameters that had the largest impact on population growth rate. Based on my analysis, the stochastic and deterministic population growth rate indicated that the wood turtle population is declining when either disease or deleterious alleles are present. Concerns about introducing infected individuals into a population become important only when a substantial number of infected adults and individuals with deleterious alleles are introduced, and from my projections, once greater than 10 animals are introduced to a recipient population with 100 individuals, then the proportion of infected animals and individuals without deleterious alleles at the end of 20 years rapidly increases as the number of animals introduced increases. This was also evident in the projected population sizes in 20 years under a variety of different scenarios. Using a sensitivity analysis, I found that, adult survival probability had the largest positive effect on population growth rate. These findings highlight the importance of carefully evaluating the risks and uncertainties associated with reintroduction efforts, especially concerning disease and deleterious alleles. On a broader scale, this research enhances our understanding of the complex dynamics involved in repatriating confiscated wildlife and the associated risks of their reintroduction into wild populations.