Long Island, New York dog fighting bust leads to 89 pooches rescued

(The AEGIS Alliance) – Greater than 80 canines have been rescued and also 10 male suspects were apprehended on Monday in Suffolk County is among the biggest dogfighting ring takedowns in the history of the state of New York.

The dogfighting ring stretched over from Long Island, New York City, Connecticut as well as Massachusetts, and also consisted of breeding, training, as well as unlawful fighting of pit bulls, an investigation by a number of local, county, and state law enforcement agencies uncovered.

The investigation that was launched in the early months of 2021, uncovered that the accused suspects prepped puppies as young as 6 months of age in practice fights or even “rolls” to establish their fighting ability. during the dogs adult lives, they underwent heartless living conditions and were also forced to train insatiably for fighting,

After a dog was considered ready for combat, a “broker” arranged fights based upon the canine’s height and body weight, authorities stated. A prepared challenger would pay for a buy-in cost or even “forfeit” to enter their canine into a fight, authorities pointed out. The winning canine owner would obtain every one of the payouts.

Others were betting the results of the terrible fights, through which the canines could be seriously wounded or even killed. Dogs who got very seriously wounded or even that didn’t perform well got killed by the defendants, investigators discovered.

The accused male suspects additionally earned money from breeding as well as marketing canines considered to possess good genetics for fighting.

9 Suffolk County locals, 3 from Nassau County, and one from Brooklyn had been searched on July 31 and August 1, the locations that 81 canines got rescued. An added 8 canines have been saved in Connecticut.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals assisted in the recuperation of the canines that had been discovered in dreadful living conditions in basements, sheds, as well as garages. Some dogs were found without having any food or even water.

“Many of the dogs displayed various medical conditions consistent with dogfighting, including scarring and broken teeth, and were exhibiting fearful behavior,” the District Attorney’s office stated.

Searches uncovered troubling dogfighting materials, consisting of “rape stands,” utilized to incapacitate female canines for reproducing, skin staplers, anabolic steroids and also nutritional supplements, tools utilized to electrocute canines, “break sticks” made use of to break up fights, and also canine instruction tools such as treadmills.

The 10 offenders, whose ages vary from 32-80, are all facing a maximum sentence of as much as 4 years behind bars, a fine of as much as $25,000, or both. One of the accused is facing two decades for added drug charges.

A special grand jury is going to look into the case, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini mentioned, to create future legal suggestions on efficient animal cruelty prevention.

“The Special Grand Jury will be considering recommendations we can make to strengthen the laws on animal cruelty and further protect animals from this kind of senseless abuse,” he stated. “We need to hold these bad actors accountable for their violent actions and these crimes need to be treated seriously under our law.”

“We will not tolerate these types of crimes – crimes that injure and, in many cases, result in the death of vulnerable animals,” Sini’s statement reads. “Many of us have dogs as pets in our homes and we love them as another family member. This case is about how a criminal network bred dogs, tortured them, and put them in serious harm’s way just to make a buck.”

“These arrests represent a significant blow to dogfighting, certainly here on Long Island and we believe it will have impacts throughout the Northeast.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea chimed in, stating “The NYPD will continue to enforce the laws that protect animals and ensure those who abuse them are brought to justice.”

Senior Counsel for ASPCA Legal Advocacy & Investigations named Elizabeth Brandler stated that “This brutal case involving dozens of victimized animals demonstrates that dogfighting persists in every corner of America, requiring that we remain diligent in our effort to eradicate animal fighting across the country.”

Brandler added that “We are grateful that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and Suffolk County Police Department chose to work with us on this complex case and for their commitment to stopping these despicable crimes, rescuing the animals involved, and bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.