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MEDIA RELEASE: Two Sentenced for Backyard Butcher Operation

MEDIA RELEASE: Two Sentenced for Backyard Butcher Operation

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (January 31, 2025) — In Defense of Animals decries the sentencing of Miguel Cabrera and Ysiris Gonzalez who were arrested and charged with animal cruelty following an investigation into their illegal slaughter farm operation.

In May 2023, Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) investigators followed up on a Craigslist ad offering live animals and meat for sale, which led them to two connected properties cooperatively operating illegal slaughterhouses where investigators witnessed an “inhumane act” and caught it on video.

A six-month investigation dubbed “Operation Lebo” followed, which uncovered horrifying animal cruelty, including animals living in squalor, violations of the Humane Slaughter Act, and evidence that was related to animal fighting and ritualistic slaughter activities. About 150 animals were saved and are receiving lifetime care at an ARM sanctuary.

In February, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, along with a task force of county, state, and federal agencies, executed an animal rescue operation. Miguel Cabrera was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. In March, Ysairis Gonzalez was also arrested and charged with animal cruelty after a search warrant was executed in connection to the case.

In Defense of Animals sent a letter with 13,604 signatures to State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl calling for the maximum sentencing for each of them. 

On January 29, Cabrera was sentenced to a mere three years of probation and 30 days in county jail, which he will not serve as the judge gave him credit for time served. He pleaded nolo contendere (no contest) to cruelty to animals - torture and was adjudicated guilty. His sentence runs concurrently for each charge.

Gonzalez pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals - torture, yet the judge withheld adjudication and sentenced her to three years of probation with no jail time.

“This sentencing is despicable,” said Doll Stanley, In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner. “The suffering these animals endured warranted far more than a slap on the wrist. Despite overwhelming evidence of torture and cruelty, documented at great cost to ARM, a charitable organization, the court's decision fails to deliver justice for these victims. Protecting animals from cruelty is not just a moral duty — it is essential to breaking the cycle of violence that extends beyond them. Time and again, research shows a strong link between animal abuse and broader patterns of human violence. When courts hand down weak sentences, they fail not only the animal victims, but also the offenders and society at large, allowing cruelty to persist and escalate unchecked.”

 

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Contact: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California, and rural Mississippi since 1983. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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