Latest news with #PETA
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Chimp Crazy' Star Gets Nearly 4 Years in Prison for Lying About Ape's Death
A star of the HBO series 'Chimp Crazy' has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for lying to the authorities by saying that one of her primates, Tonka, a celebrity with Hollywood movie credits, had died to avoid giving him up, according to court documents. Tonka's former owner, Tonia Haddix, 56, was sentenced to 46 months on Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, a coda in a protracted legal battle with the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals over several chimpanzees that were kept at the Missouri primate center that she ran. In March, Ms. Haddix pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice in the federal case, which centered on custody of the chimpanzees — in particular, Tonka, who appeared in the movies 'George of the Jungle' and 'Buddy.' Her bond with Tonka, which she cast as an unbreakable love between a mother and child in 'Chimp Crazy,' drew notoriety to Ms. Haddix, who in the trailer for the series said that she would be willing to do anything to protect her chimpanzees. 'They can throw me in jail for a year,' she said. 'I don't care.' The four-episode series in 2024 had the same director as the popular Netflix production 'Tiger King' and featured the actor Alan Cumming, who shared the screen with Tonka in the 1997 film 'Buddy.' In 2022, Mr. Cumming offered a $10,000 reward for information about Tonka's whereabouts after the chimp vanished, matching the amount put up by PETA. The group has been waging a court fight with Ms. Haddix for nearly a decade over the treatment of several chimpanzees at a primate center in Festus, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, arguing that she was violating the Endangered Species Act — chimps are listed on it — by keeping them. Ms. Haddix had accused PETA of defamation and had called it a militant group. Tonka, who is 33 years old, has been living at an animal sanctuary in Florida since 2022. When the authorities moved to seize Tonka and two other chimpanzees from her in 2021, Ms. Haddix concocted a story about how Tonka had died that May after a stroke and that she had him cremated, prosecutors said. But according to the government, Tonka was alive, having been hidden by Ms. Haddix at a hotel and a private facility in Ohio to avoid having to give up custody of him, as a judge had ordered. When pressed for proof of Tonka's death, she was unable to provide documentation and said that she had not requested a necropsy. The judge had found Ms. Haddix in contempt of court and had required her to give up all of her chimpanzees, saying that she was not abiding by a 2020 legal agreement stipulating the apes' living conditions. As part of the agreement, known as a consent decree, she had promised to build a new dome-like enclosure for the chimpanzees, a condition that PETA said that Ms. Haddix had failed to uphold. Ms. Haddix was previously required to transfer her four other chimpanzees to a sanctuary under the decree. During Ms. Haddix's criminal case, prosecutors said that she had consistently flouted the law, tipping off the show's producers about when federal agents were scheduled to arrive at her property. In one episode of 'Chimp Crazy,' she said that she had attempted to run over a lawyer for PETA after a court appearance, according to a government sentencing memo. Prosecutors said that federal law enforcement officers had found a mature female chimpanzee in the basement of Ms. Haddix's home in Sunrise Beach, Mo., during a raid in July that had led to her being arrested again. She was prohibited from owning chimpanzees. Justin K. Gelfand, a lawyer for Ms. Haddix, said in an email on Friday that her sentence could have been twice as long. 'The sentence she received was more severe than she hoped, but not as severe as she might have otherwise faced under the circumstances,' Mr. Gelfand said. In a sentencing memo, Mr. Gelfand wrote that Ms. Haddix had been abused by her mother and a former husband. 'It was at this point in her life that her love of animals became her vehicle for finding contentment and fulfilling relationships,' Mr. Gelfand wrote. In a statement on Thursday, PETA applauded the sentence that was handed down to Ms. Haddix. 'How's that for a taste of your own medicine?' the group said, adding that Ms. Haddix 'can't hurt another chimpanzee' in prison.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Senior dog stolen from blind man's backyard in Logan Square; $6,000 reward offered
PETA and community groups are offering a reward of up to $6,000 for the safe return of a dog that was stolen from a blind man in Logan Square. Bam Bam is a 14-year-old dachshund. He was taken from Angel Santiago's yard near Monticello and Fullerton avenues on June 5. Santiago is legally blind from glaucoma. He told PETA organizers he heard two men enter his yard through his gate. He tried to intervene and was able to grab one of the suspects, but they got away with his dog. He said he believes the person he grabbed was a teenager wearing long sleeves. Since Bam Bam was taken, Santiago has walked up to seven miles a day, handing out flyers and trying to call for his beloved pet. Bam Bam was not wearing his collar when he was taken, but he is microchipped. If you have information about his whereabouts, contact the Chicago Police Department. Community members trying to help find the dog have also set up their own email tipline at Bambamtipline@
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
'Chimp Crazy' star sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for lying that primate had died
A Missouri woman who starred in the HBO documentary series 'Chimp Crazy' has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after she lied that a movie star primate that she was accused of mistreating had died. Tonia Haddix, 56, was also ordered Thursday to serve three years of supervised release after her 46-month prison sentence ends. Haddix, who ran a primate facility the St. Louis suburb of Festus, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice. It all started nearly a decade ago, when the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued, saying she was keeping several chimps in 'confined in cramped, virtually barren enclosures' at the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation facility. Among the chimps was Tonka, who appeared in the 1997 movies 'Buddy' and 'George of the Jungle.' Actor Alan Cumming, the British-born actor who starred in the movie 'Buddy' alongside Tonka, also begged for the primate to be moved. Haddix signed a consent decree in 2020 agreeing to send four of the chimps to a Florida sanctuary. The order allowed her to keep three others, including Tonka, at a facility she was to build. But after a judge found that was not complying with the agreement, authorities arrived in 2021 and removed the remaining chimps, except for Tonka. Haddix claimed Tonka had died and that she had cremated the remains, according to court records. 'I wanted to keep trying to save Tonka if l could. But then he just died on his own, so there was no saving him,' she said, according to court records. But Tonka was alive. In 2022, PETA removed him from a cage in the basement of her home in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, near the Lake of the Ozarks. Haddix told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2022 that she lied to protect Tonka from 'the evil clutches of PETA.' She also admitted what happened in the third episode of 'Chimp Crazy,' which premiered last year, saying, 'Tonka was literally on the run with me.' Just last month, investigators found another chimp locked up in the basement of her home in Sunrise Beach in violation of court orders, documents in the case said. She was arrested, and her bond revoked. 'Defendant has shown no remorse for her criminal conduct, and has continued to challenge and defy this Court's authority, and she should face a significant punishment as a result,' prosecutors wrote. Her lawyer, Justin Gelfand, asked for mercy in court filings, saying she suffered abuse as a child and then endured several rocky marriages as an adult. 'This life taught her a clear lesson: humans are unpredictable and are not frequently safe or trustworthy," Gelfand wrote. "In the face of these harsh realities threaded throughout her life, Haddix came to form secure attachments with animals.' PETA praised the sentence in a news release, saying that Haddix now 'can't hurt another chimpanzee.'
3 days ago
- Entertainment
'Chimp Crazy' star sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for lying that primate died
A Missouri woman who starred in the HBO documentary series 'Chimp Crazy' has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after she lied that a movie star primate that she was accused of mistreating had died. Tonia Haddix, 56, was also ordered Thursday to serve three years of supervised release after her 46-month prison sentence ends. Haddix, who ran a primate facility the St. Louis suburb of Festus, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice. It all started nearly a decade ago, when the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued, saying she was keeping several chimps in 'confined in cramped, virtually barren enclosures' at the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation facility. Among the chimps was Tonka, who appeared in the 1997 movies 'Buddy' and 'George of the Jungle.' Actor Alan Cumming, the British-born actor who starred in the movie 'Buddy' alongside Tonka, also begged for the primate to be moved. Haddix signed a consent decree in 2020 agreeing to send four of the chimps to a Florida sanctuary. The order allowed her to keep three others, including Tonka, at a facility she was to build. But after a judge found that was not complying with the agreement, authorities arrived in 2021 and removed the remaining chimps, except for Tonka. Haddix claimed Tonka had died and that she had cremated the remains, according to court records. 'I wanted to keep trying to save Tonka if l could. But then he just died on his own, so there was no saving him,' she said, according to court records. But Tonka was alive. In 2022, PETA removed him from a cage in the basement of her home in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, near the Lake of the Ozarks. Haddix told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2022 that she lied to protect Tonka from 'the evil clutches of PETA.' She also admitted what happened in the third episode of 'Chimp Crazy,' which premiered last year, saying, 'Tonka was literally on the run with me.' Just last month, investigators found another chimp locked up in the basement of her home in Sunrise Beach in violation of court orders, documents in the case said. She was arrested, and her bond revoked. 'Defendant has shown no remorse for her criminal conduct, and has continued to challenge and defy this Court's authority, and she should face a significant punishment as a result,' prosecutors wrote. Her lawyer, Justin Gelfand, asked for mercy in court filings, saying she suffered abuse as a child and then endured several rocky marriages as an adult. 'This life taught her a clear lesson: humans are unpredictable and are not frequently safe or trustworthy," Gelfand wrote. "In the face of these harsh realities threaded throughout her life, Haddix came to form secure attachments with animals.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Chimp Crazy' star sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for lying that primate had died
A Missouri woman who starred in the HBO documentary series 'Chimp Crazy' has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after she lied that a movie star primate that she was accused of mistreating had died. Tonia Haddix, 56, was also ordered Thursday to serve three years of supervised release after her 46-month prison sentence ends. Haddix, who ran a primate facility the St. Louis suburb of Festus, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice. It all started nearly a decade ago, when the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued, saying she was keeping several chimps in 'confined in cramped, virtually barren enclosures' at the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation facility. Among the chimps was Tonka, who appeared in the 1997 movies 'Buddy' and 'George of the Jungle.' Actor Alan Cumming, the British-born actor who starred in the movie 'Buddy' alongside Tonka, also begged for the primate to be moved. Haddix signed a consent decree in 2020 agreeing to send four of the chimps to a Florida sanctuary. The order allowed her to keep three others, including Tonka, at a facility she was to build. But after a judge found that was not complying with the agreement, authorities arrived in 2021 and removed the remaining chimps, except for Tonka. Haddix claimed Tonka had died and that she had cremated the remains, according to court records. 'I wanted to keep trying to save Tonka if l could. But then he just died on his own, so there was no saving him,' she said, according to court records. But Tonka was alive. In 2022, PETA removed him from a cage in the basement of her home in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, near the Lake of the Ozarks. Haddix told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2022 that she lied to protect Tonka from 'the evil clutches of PETA.' She also admitted what happened in the third episode of 'Chimp Crazy,' which premiered last year, saying, 'Tonka was literally on the run with me.' Just last month, investigators found another chimp locked up in the basement of her home in Sunrise Beach in violation of court orders, documents in the case said. She was arrested, and her bond revoked. 'Defendant has shown no remorse for her criminal conduct, and has continued to challenge and defy this Court's authority, and she should face a significant punishment as a result,' prosecutors wrote. Her lawyer, Justin Gelfand, asked for mercy in court filings, saying she suffered abuse as a child and then endured several rocky marriages as an adult. 'This life taught her a clear lesson: humans are unpredictable and are not frequently safe or trustworthy," Gelfand wrote. "In the face of these harsh realities threaded throughout her life, Haddix came to form secure attachments with animals.' PETA praised the sentence in a news release, saying that Haddix now 'can't hurt another chimpanzee.'
