Hoarding - 6 dogs found dead, fish dead and dying
San Francisco, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 2, 2007
County: San Francisco
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Tony Cheng
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Last year, Tony Cheng was indicted for an unusual scheme in which he allegedly ordered $49,000 worth of violins, then falsely claimed they never got to his San Francisco home.
Now, authorities say, Cheng, 27, has been charged with something many in canine-loving San Francisco will no doubt find far worse: allegedly allowing six tiny Pekingese dogs to starve to death as they were trapped in cages inside his Parnassus Heights home. Authorities say it is among the most troubling cases of animal cruelty in recent memory.
"It was and is a horrendous case,'' said Carl Friedman, head of San Francisco's Department of Animal Care and Control about Cheng, who faces six counts of felony animal cruelty after authorities found the dogs, still caged, after being summoned to his home on Jan. 2.
The dogs -- purebred animals the Cheng family intended to be entered into dog shows -- had been dead for weeks, said Capt. Vicky Guldbech of Animal Care and Control.
"Every once in a while, you walk in and you see something that looks like the scene of a homicide,'' Guldbech said. "It makes you wonder: 'Oh my God, this is what my job has led me to.' ''
"The house just reeked of suffering,'' she said.
Beside the dogs, authorities found several tanks containing both live and dead fish. Cheng's father is now in possession and responsible for care of the fish, Guldbech said.
Cheng needs help, not jail time, and did not intentionally starve the animals, said his lawyer, Garrick Lew.
"He's got some psychiatric, psychological issues,'' Lew said. "There are a lot of personal issues that he needs to address. I will tell you he is not well.'
"The allegation that he did this callously and with cruel intentions -- I don't believe that's true at all. They were under his care; clearly he did not exercise best care possible.''
Police say the animals appeared to waste away in the month of December.
"They basically starved to death -- he just didn't feed them,'' said Inspector Lynn Richardson of the police fraud detail. "The house was basically horrible. There was animal feces all over the house.''
Cheng's mother gave him large sums of money, hoping he would invest it in real estate, Richardson said. But apparently, the money went to support his drug habit, she said.
"There were no real estate investments whatsoever,'' Richardson said. Police found methamphetamine inside the home, and Cheng faces drug charges along with the animal cruelty.
"I tried to stay away from looking at the pictures -- I love dogs,'' Richardson said.
Last June, Cheng was indicted on three counts of mail fraud stemming from what authorities say was a scheme to order expensive violins from violin makers and an online auction house only to claim he didn't get them and refuse to pay.
The instruments included a Schryer violin worth $14,400, a Feng Jiang violin worth $18,000 and a Bissolotti violin valued at $16,727. Cheng allegedly claimed he mail-ordered but did not receive the Schryer and Feng Jiang violins. He denied authorizing the credit charge for the Bissolotti violin after he allegedly received the instrument.
He was later freed on $250,000 bond. He has also posted bail in the animal cruelty case and is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 9.
Lew, Cheng's attorney, said while free on bail in the federal case stemming from the violins, his client tried his best to care for the animals. He said he took them for treatment at a clinic not long before they died.
"He did seek care for them,'' Lew said. "The accusation that he left them there to die and starve to death is not true.''
He said that just one of the dogs belonged to Cheng and that the others belonged to his family.
"These dogs were placed in the care of various handlers,'' Lew said. "It's expensive to pay the handlers, and there just wasn't enough money. He couldn't pay for their upkeep.''
He called his client a "very bright guy'' who recently had a falling out with his parents. Nonetheless, he said, his parents came from China after Cheng called them and told them he needed help.
"The family helped him and bailed him out,'' Lew said. "He's under care and treatment of doctors right now.''
Case Updates| Tony Cheng is currently in federal custody on other matters. No further court dates have been set on the animal cruelty charges at this time. | Source: Docket # 2298021
Update posted on Jun 1, 2007 - 3:05PM |
Tony Cheng, accused of allowing six tiny Pekingese dogs to starve to death as they were trapped in cages inside his Parnassus Heights home, will appear in court for a pre-trial conference on April 19. Authorities say it is among the most troubling cases of animal cruelty in recent memory.
"It was and is a horrendous case,'' said Carl Friedman, head of San Francisco's Department of Animal Care and Control about Cheng, who faces six counts of felony animal cruelty after authorities found the dogs, still caged, after being summoned to his home.
"They basically starved to death -- he just didn't feed them,'' said Inspector Lynn Richardson of the police fraud detail. "The house was basically horrible. There was animal feces all over the house.''
Methamphetamine was also found in the house, and Cheng faces drug charges along with the animal cruelty. | Source: Docket # 2298021
Update posted on Mar 22, 2007 - 5:28PM |
| Tony Cheng will appear in court next for a pre-trial conference on March 19, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. in Department 10 of the Hall of Justice in San Francisco. | Source: Docket # 2298021
Update posted on Feb 12, 2007 - 2:10PM |
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