A woman in Anaheim, Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, is facing federal animal cruelty charges after allegedly luring a pit bull puppy under her van using food and then running it over. The incident reportedly took place in Orange County on September 8.
Along with federal charges of felony animal crushing, Nguyen is also dealing with various state charges, including felony animal cruelty, in Orange County Superior Court.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli pointed to the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, which was signed into law in 2019, as crucial for enabling these federal charges. “Luring a defenseless puppy with food only to crush him beneath a vehicle is an act of appalling cruelty,” Essayli stated. He emphasized the commitment to using all available federal resources to hold animal abusers accountable.
The federal complaint included an X-ray of the deceased puppy, which officials say experienced significant suffering after the alleged incident. It was determined that the cause of death was a crushed skull. An autopsy also revealed an intestinal blockage caused by a large amount of pistachio shells, likely occurring in the last few days of its life.
Authorities utilized footage from a Flock Safety camera near the scene to identify Nguyen’s vehicle. She initially claimed that her car had hit a dog that had already died a month earlier and denied hitting any dog.
It was previously stated that Nguyen admitted to owning and abandoning her nine-month-old pit bull, named “Blackey.” A concerned resident had reported spotting the lifeless puppy in the street, suspecting foul play.
If convicted, Nguyen could face up to seven years in federal prison.
