Horse Breeder Gets Two Years for Neglect

Sometimes, it's really good to be wrong. A couple of months ago, I wrote about the case of racehorse breeder Ernie Paragallo, who was accused, then convicted, of starving dozens of horses at his facility in New York. At that time, I said, "Unfortunately, in far too many cases like this, courts don't tend to impose much, if any, prison time."

Today, the judge in Paragallo's case handed down the max sentence, up to two years in prison and a $33,000 fine. I'm pretty happy to have gotten that one wrong.

The takeaway from this is twofold. First, the good news. Paragallo's case shows us that at least some judges get it right when it comes to taking cruelty and neglect seriously. Will Paragallo serve his full two-year sentence? I don't know; one presumes that there are provisions for good behavior. But, he's going to spend awhile in a cell, and that should send a message to other abusers out there.

The $33,000 fine hits Paragallo, a former Wall Street executive, right where it hurts — in his wallet. It's not too big of a hit, unfortunately — Paragallo has reportedly earned upwards of $20 million in racing wins — but it's a hit nonetheless. There's also the as-yet unresolved matter of restitution. The District Attorney in the Paragallo case is asking for around $45,000 in payback for care of the horses once they were removed from Paragallo's facility. A judge will get into that in the coming weeks, and it's a safe bet that Paragallo will need to open up his checkbook again.

Speaking of money matters, there's also the possibility of civil fines from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.

And now, the bad news. Let's not lose sight of the fact that Paragallo was convicted of allowing multiple horses to starve at his facility. Looking at it in that context, you have to ask yourself, does the punishment fit the crime?

I don't necessarily think it does, and I suspect a lot of you agree with me. It points to a larger societal issue that is, quite frankly, beyond the scope of this post. We don't value other animals as highly as we should from a legal and legislative standpoint, especially when it comes to their well-being and quality of life.

Today, though, justice for animals won, to the extent that it could. Ernie Paragallo felt the full force of the law on his shoulders. He'll be spending some time in the can, with plenty of time to think about where he went wrong, and more nutrition than he allowed the victims of his crime. We can only hope he'll come out a changed man.

Photo credit: DerekFleener