Justitie · Animal-cruelty prosecutionSanta Ana puppy crushing: Federal charge adds potential seven-year prison termGeschreven 31 oktober 2026 om 08:43 UTCKijkenTranscript0:07Animal services officers found Blackie dead on a street.0:10Now a woman faces a federal felony charge over the puppy's death, carrying up to0:14seven years in prison.0:15She already faces a separate county prosecution.0:17Whether she deliberately killed Blackie is at the center of both cases.0:21Hanmin Nguyen is seventy-five and lives in Anaheim.0:24The puppy died in nearby Santa Ana, where animal services officers responded to a0:28call about an injured dog on September eight.0:30A neighbor told officers she believed a woman had intentionally killed the puppy0:34with a minivan.0:35Police searched the surrounding area for surveillance video.0:38Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said they found footage that0:41corroborated the neighbor's account.0:43County prosecutors announced their case October2 after Blackie's death on September0:46eight.0:47Federal charging was reported October twenty-nine, although that filing date hasn't0:51been confirmed.0:51Federal authorities announced the new prosecution October thirty.0:55The federal accusation is that Nguyen used food to bring the puppy beside her0:58vehicle before driving over him.1:00Prosecutors say she acted intentionally.1:02The surveillance footage is central to that accusation because it captures the1:05sequence around the minivan.1:07Police say the video shows a woman leaving a Honda Odyssey and putting kibble near1:10the driver's door.1:11She places the puppy on the ground, where he moves toward the food, then gets back1:15into the minivan and drives forward.1:16The puppy was pinned beneath the left rear tire for about fifteen seconds.1:20Federal prosecutors say an autopsy indicated Blackie remained alive for several1:24minutes afterward and likely suffered severe pain before dying.1:27Those findings form part of the prosecution's account of what happened.1:31First assistant U.S.1:32attorney Bill Essaley accused Nguyen of luring a defenseless puppy with food and1:36crushing him beneath a vehicle.1:37He called the alleged conduct an act of appalling cruelty.1:41Federal prosecutors brought one felony count of animal crushing.1:44The charge uses a law enacted in two thousand and nineteen that created a nationwide1:48prohibition on animal crushing.1:50They must prove the allegation in court before Nguyen can be punished under that1:53law.1:54Nigin faces a maximum of seven years in federal prison if convicted.1:57That ceiling applies to the federal count.1:59Any sentence would follow a conviction, and the county case carries its own separate2:03charges.2:04Orange County prosecutors accuse Nguyen of animal cruelty and animal abuse by a2:08caretaker.2:09They also allege personal use of a weapon.2:12That sentencing allegation would have to be proved along with the underlying2:15charges.2:16The county prosecution was already underway when federal authorities announced their2:20case.2:20The exact felony or misdemeanor classification of the county counts is still2:24unclear.2:25Both prosecutions concerned Blackie's death in the same September incident.2:28Blackie was a pit bull puppy, but T here is a discrepancy over his age.2:33County prosecutors described a much younger animal than the nine-month old puppy2:37described elsewhere.2:38Blackie has been described as nine months old.2:40County prosecutors called him nine weeks old.2:42His age hasn't been settled, but both cases concern the same puppy.2:46Nunjin was reportedly released from custody on twenty thousand dollars bail.2:49She's expected in court in Santa Ana on Monday, November two.2:52The two prosecutions now put the allegation of an intentional killing before both2:56federal and county courts.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDex
