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Dealing Dogs
VICTORY FOR THE
ANIMALS!
C.C. BAIRD CASE SETS IMPORTANT PRECEDENT!
C.C. Baird is the First
“Class B” Dealer Convicted of Money
Laundering Due to his Class "B" Dealer Activities -
Future Animal Abusers Like Baird are Expected to Face
Prison Time for Their Offenses
In early 2002, an LCA undercover investigator infiltrated
Baird’s Martin Creek Kennel in Williford, Arkansas and acquired over 70
hours of video surveillance detailing an overwhelming amount of animal
cruelty, abuse, neglect and unsanitary conditions. The documentation
gathered during the undercover investigation was handed over to the U.S.
Attorney's Office, which resulted in the largest multi-agency (federal,
state and local) investigation of animal abuse in U.S. history. As a
result, Martin Creek Kennel was raided at dawn break on August 27, 2003.
During the raid, 125 dogs and 1 cat were removed from Baird’s premises.
As a result of the raid, C.C. Baird, the largest and most notorious USDA
licensed Class “B” animal dealer, was officially charged with
hundreds of violations of the Animal Welfare Act on March 11, 2004.
These charges included mistreatment of animals,
inadequate veterinary care and improper housing. This
civil case was settled out of court in January 2005 and
consisted of the following:
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The USDA issued Class “B” licenses of C.C. Baird and daughter,
Jeanette, were PERMANENTLY REVOKED
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The USDA issued Class “A” licenses of Baird’s wife, Patsy, and
daughter Patricia, were PERMANENTLY REVOKED
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Baird and his wife were required to pay a civil penalty of
$250,000
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C.C. Baird was personally assessed an additional civil penalty
of $12,700
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The combined $262,700 penalties represent the largest civil
penalty ever assessed and paid in an Animal Welfare Act case
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A five year probation including
a penalty of $250,000 if any Baird is caught engaging in any activities
under which their licenses were revoked
Separate from his civil case, Baird was also federally
charged with conspiracy to launder money to which he pleaded guilty on
August 30, 2005. Baird's guilty plea stemmed from his monetary
transactions in criminally derived property (dogs and cats) to research
facilities. Patsy Baird pleaded guilty to misprision of felony mail
fraud (misprision is neglect in preventing or reporting a crime).
The federal charges against Baird were NOT
for animal abuse. An animal abuse charge in the State of
Arkansas is only a misdemeanor; therefore the U.S. Attorney deliberately
went after Baird on federal charges to attempt a
felony conviction. Baird’s violations of the Animal Welfare Act
were handled in his civil case.
The outcome of Baird’s federal charges are listed below:
Guilty plea on August 30, 2005:
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Criminal forfeiture of 700 acres of property,
valued at approximately $1.1 million.
The property includes the Baird residence, another house and their
kennel facilities
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Criminal forfeiture of $200,000
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Partial reimbursement of $42,400 to animal rescue
organizations involved in taking all the animals after they were
relinquished from Baird’s Martin Creek Kennels
Federal sentencing on July 14th, 2006:
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3 years probation for C.C. Baird
including 6 months home detention.
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2 years probation for Patsy Baird.
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$7,500 fine for C.C. and $2,500 for
Patsy; $10,000 combined fines
due in 30 days.
C.C. BAIRD’S CASE SETS
IMPORTANT PRECEDENT!
C.C. Baird is the first Class “B” dealer to
be convicted of money laundering due to his Class "B" dealer
activities. Due to this, future animal abusers like Baird are
expected to face prison time for their offenses.
During the sentencing for the federal charges, C.C. Baird asked
Judge J. Leon Holmes of the U.S. District for Eastern Arkansas
for leniency.
"He was basically kissing the floor of the court room. It was
pitiful. I would have liked to see him do hard time, but it was
much more important to set a precedent for future violators of
the Animal Welfare Act," said Chris DeRose, LCA President.
Judge Holmes admonished Baird for his crimes and then advised
Baird that he was fully prepared to sentence him to prison, but
reconsidered because of a motion filed by the government for a
lesser sentence in response to Baird’s substantial assistance to
the USDA and others in multiple ongoing investigations.
Baird consented to an on-camera interview initiated by LCA
President Chris DeRose regarding the theft of companion animals
for medical research. Baird’s interview provided incriminating
evidence against the entire "B" dealer system and the USDA.
Baird’s interview is part of the LCA documentary titled, “The
Case Against ‘B’ Dealers.” The documentary includes Baird’s
interview and interviews with other USDA licensed "B" dealers
and documents the failure of the USDA/APHIS to enforce the
Animal Welfare Act to protect America's companion animals from
ending up in research laboratories. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
and U.S. Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and English
(R-PA), are sponsors of the Pet Safety and Protection Act (H.R.
5229, S.451). Both “Dealing Dogs” and “The Case Against ‘B’
Dealers” are crucial pieces of
documentation that will help get The Pet Safety and
Protection Act (PSPA) passed. The PSPA will amend the Animal
Welfare Act by making “B” dealers an illegal source of animals
for research, effectively putting all the remaining Class “B”
dealers out of business.
Lots of hard work spanning many years was put into Baird’s
case by LCA. In addition to the sentences/penalties listed
above, there are other positive outcomes in this case, such as:
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Baird operated as a Class “B”
dealer for over 15 years, and now that he is out of business,
thousands of animals will be spared from ending up in Baird’s
horrendous facility
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The numerous dogs and cats
confiscated from Baird’s property have all been adopted into
loving homes
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The Baird’s are now
convicted felons --
several fundamental rights have been taken away from them,
including voting and carrying firearms
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The Baird’s annual income has
dropped dramatically from their “B” dealer activities of
approx $500,000, to $60,000
working for a construction company in Texas
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HBO
America Undercover aired “Dealing Dogs,” a
documentary on LCA’s undercover investigation into C.C. Baird.
As a result, millions of Americans became aware of the horrors
of the pet theft trade and that companion animals are ending up
in research facilities
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Most
importantly, the Baird felony case has set precedent for future
violators of the Animal Welfare Act
Click here to find out what you can do to get the
Pet Safety and Protection Act passed and put an end to Class “B”
dealers forever.
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