A Mineola man was arraigned Tuesday on charges of animal cruelty for allegedly beating and killing four kittens and stuffing three of their dead bodies in a garbage chute.
Justin Visconti, 38, was arraigned before Judge Howard Struim and charged with four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and four counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals. He faces a maximum of two years in prison, if convicted.
On Nov. 25, 2019, employees of an apartment building on Lincoln Avenue discovered the corpses of three mutilated kittens in a garbage bag inside the garbage chute of the building.
When police arrived on the scene, a fourth deceased kitten was found in a discarded Amazon deliver box with the defendant’s address on it, which led police to arrest Visconti the following day, according to the county district attorney’s office.
Veterinarians from the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter and Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center examined the feline corpses and observed “extensive blunt force trauma injuries covering the dead kittens’ bodies.”
Visconti was arrested again on Aug. 6, 2020 for allegedly being in possession of another cat, this time an adult. A spokesperson for the district attorney said this cat was alive at the time. This violated a court order imposed after his first arrest.
“Repeatedly beating defenseless animals is shocking to the conscience and my office is committed to holding this defendant accountable for his alleged actions,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.
Visconti is due back in court on September 6. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Brook Salvatore of the District Attorney’s Animal Crimes Unit.
When are we going to enact harsher penalties for animal abuse? Two years is not enough time because you know this clown is going to be paroled in six months or less!
Hello Jeanne,
There is a MAJOR Animal Cruelty bill right now in the New York State Legislature. It’s called “Tuckers Law.” If the bill gets passed in the NY State assembly, and gets signed into law by Governor Cuomo, it would remove the current two year limit for jail sentences for animal abusers and allow a judge to sentence these scumbags to several years in jail. Would you please contact your New York State assembly person and Governor Andrew Cuomo and demand that they pass “Tuckers Law” as soon as possible. Please urge everyone you know in the state of New York to do the same. To find out who your New York State Assembly Person is : nyassembly.gov>mem>search
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s website is: governor.ny.gov
I have emailed practically every animal shelter and vet office in NY about this bill. I don’t know if anyone read my email or acted on it. The public must demand that this bill pass, and pass soon! Please do all that you can to help get it passed.
Thanks