Downey Man Who Sold Sick Puppies To Pay $200K In Restitution To 63 Families
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A Downey man pleaded no contest Friday to selling dozens of sick puppies and agreed to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the families who bought them.
Gustavo Gonzalez, 27, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of selling live animals on the street. He was immediately sentenced to 87 days in jail, placed on probation for a year, and ordered to pay $203,000 in restitution to 63 families and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles.
"The pets that we bring into our homes become a beloved part of our family. Trying to sell sick puppies to unsuspecting people is just plain wrong," Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.
Prosecutors say Gonzalez sold sick puppies to families throughout Southern California between February 2018 and April 2019. Most of the puppies died after they were taken home, according to prosecutors.
Gonzalez was also ordered to undergo a year of counseling for animal cruelty and is prohibited from owning or being around any animals for the next 10 years.
