Case Details

Impersonating a vet, performing surgeries
Brooklyn, NY (US)

Date: Feb 3, 2006
County: Kings
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Steven Michael Vassall

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 7204
Classification: Mutilation/Torture, Other
Animal: dog (non pit-bull), cat
View more cases in NY (US)
Suspect was in animal welfare field
« Back to Search Results
Login to Watch this Case

An unlicensed man has been charged with making veterinary house calls in Brooklyn after botching a stomach operation on a dog and agreeing to neuter an undercover investigator's cat.

Although the Brooklyn district attorney's office asserts only one instance so far in which Steven Vassall, 28, illegally performed surgery on an animal, investigators suspect he has been acting as a veterinarian for years, a spokesman for the office, Jerry Schmetterer, said. It was unclear how long Vassall � a college student who once worked as a laboratory assistant in a vet's office � allegedly scammed pet owners before the undercover cat helped put him out of business.

Mr. Vassall was charged by a grand jury Tuesday (Feb 7, 2006) falsely representing himself as a veterinarian, torturing and injuring animals, and possessing six hypodermic needles. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Mr. Vassall is not a licensed veterinarian or a veterinary technician, a state-run online database showed. Mr. Schmetterer said investigators for the district attorney's office continue to look for other pet owners who used Mr. Vassall as a veterinarian. Although he made house calls, Mr. Vassall would bring a pet to an unknown location for surgery, the district attorney's office said.

Mr. Vassall advertised pet services such as a deep ear exam and oxygen therapy. For a "seven-day hospital stay," Mr.Vassall charged $1,200 a cat. He called his service "The Cat Practice," according to a price list distributed yesterday at a press conference held by the district attorney's office.

The charges against Mr.Vassall came after he allegedly injured a dog in August while performing surgery, the indictment states. Mr. Vassall billed the owner of the dog, Raymond Reid, $985 for a surgery in which he opened the dog's belly, Mr. Schmetterer said.

The dog survived after Mr. Reid later took him to a licensed veterinarian. Mr. Vassall was arrested on February 3, 2006  in a sting operation in which investigators paid Mr.Vassall for his promise to neuter a cat brought by them, Mr. Schmetterer said. Mr. Vassall was arrested before he left the apartment with the cat.

Mr.Vassall allegedly agreed to charge investigators $135 to neuter the cat, a full $40 more than his advertised price.

Add this case to:   Del.icio.us | Digg | Furl Furl |

Case Updates

A fake vet busted in an undercover kitty operation pleaded not guilty on July 6 to an expanded felony indictment for illegally treating 14 cats and dogs.

Steven Vassal faces up to 44 years in prison for allegedly performing surgeries on five pets and providing veterinary services, including vaccinations, to another nine in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

Vassal was nabbed in February after Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes set up a sting by luring the fake animal doctor to an apartment to treat nine-month-old cat Detective Fred. Vassal was arrested then for allegedly operating on one dog and accepting upfront payment for surgery on Fred.

Six other pet owners came forward afterward to press charges. His attorney did not return calls yesterday.
Source: NY Daily News - July 7, 2006
Update posted on Jul 10, 2006 - 2:35PM 
Vassall is charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals. He is also charged with Unauthorized Use of a Professional Title and Unauthorized Practice, both class E felonies. He faces up to four years in prison. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who believes their pets were among Vassall�s victims should call the Brooklyn District Attorney�s Citizen Action Center, at (718)250-2340.

To check the credentials of a veterinarian, go to the New York State Education Department�s Office of the Professions website, for a listing of all individuals in the state licensed in the various professions and any disciplinary history. www.op.nysed.gov
Source: North Country Gazette 0 February 21, 2006
Update posted on Feb 26, 2006 - 3:58PM 

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

References

Yahoo News - Asia - Feb 9, 2005
Shortnews.Com - Feb 9, 2006
New York Sun - Feb 9, 2006
NY1 - Feb 9, 2006
The Union Tribune - Feb 9, 2006

« Back to Search Results
« NY State Animal Cruelty Map



Send this page to a friend
© Copyright 2001-2006 Pet-Abuse.Com. All rights reserved. Site Map ¤ Disclaimer ¤ Privacy Policy