DES MOINES (AP) — A northwest Iowa dog breeder fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for maintaining unsanitary and unsafe conditions for animals pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements in an effort to avoid paying the fines.
Court documents show 61-year-old Gary Felts entered an agreement on July 13 with prosecutors to plead guilty to one count of false statements. He faces up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
The USDA obtained a civil judgment against Felts for nearly $19,000 in 2012 after inspections over a five-year period of his Black Diamond Kennel operation in Kingsley found multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
Inspectors repeatedly cited him for maintaining inadequate veterinary care and filthy kennels littered with debris and animal waste with no protection from wind, rain sun and snow. Kennels also had sharp edges that could injure animals and flooring which animals’ feet could pass through.
Felts failed to pay the fine and a federal judge ordered a payment plan which required him to file yearly financial disclosure statements.
“In the financial disclosure statements, defendant concealed from the United States Attorney’s Office bank account information and the information regarding a worker compensation settlement and payment,” the plea agreement filed with the court on July 13 said.
Investigators discovered Felts received a $25,000 workers’ compensation settlement in 2013 he hid from disclosure.
Felts’ operation has been twice listed as one of the nation’s worst puppy mills by the Humane Society of the United States.
The Massachusetts-based animal rights group Companion Animal Protection Society, which has been pushing the government to act for years, said it’s past time Felts is held responsible for the conditions at his kennels.
“We’ve been investigating various pet shops in New York City and his name kept coming up,” said Deborah Howard, president of CAPS. She said Felts sells his animals through a Nebraska pet broker or directly to pet shops across the country. “We’ve been investigating him for years and it is one of the many horrible puppy mills in Iowa,” she said.
A telephone number listed for Felts was disconnected. His attorney, Brad Hansen, a public defender, did not immediately respond to a message.