NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for participating in a dogfighting ring and abusing dozens of dogs in Washington Heights, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced Thursday.
After pleading guilty, Jose Rivera, 59, was convicted to one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance and one count of causing any animal to engage in animal fighting.
He will also have two years post-release supervision and is prohibited from owning any animal for 10 years.
According to court documents, Rivera trained dogs in the Washington Heights building where he was employed as a live-in superintendent. The dogfights took place on Sept. 29, 2018, and again on June 8, 2019.
Additional dogfights had been planned, but Rivera was unable to carry them out.
In October 2019, Investigators seized ten pit bulls, two non-fighting dogs, multiple treadmills and breaking sticks, and a dead dog was also found in his freezer.
Rivera acted as a large-scale distributor and supplier to other narcotics dealers in the tristate area, authorities said.
Four kilograms of heroin and three kilograms of fentanyl in brick, powder, and rock form were discovered by officials. Investigators additionally seized two loaded handguns from his bedroom.
“Jose Rivera threatened and endangered the lives of dogs with this despicable dogfighting ring,” said District Attorney Bragg. “In addition to abusing animals, Jose Rivera knowingly possessed narcotic drugs with the intent to sell them, putting the safety of New Yorkers at risk. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that animal cruelty will never be tolerated in New York.”