April McLaughlin sentenced to prison for role in animal abuse case
April McLaughlin sentenced to 3.5 years in animal cruelty case
A judge sentenced April McLaughlin to 3.5 years in prison and seven years of probation for fraud and animal cruelty after authorities found 55 dogs living in biohazardous conditions at her Chandler home in 2023. FOX 10's Justin Lum reports.
PHOENIX - A Chandler woman at the center of a high-profile animal cruelty case has been sentenced.
Latest:
FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum has learned that April McLaughlin has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, with credit for time already served. She will also be put on a seven-year probation following her release, and is not allowed to have any animals.
Besides jail time, our previous report stated that McLaughlin also agreed to pay at least $173,000 in restitution, including $124,000 to her mother Kathleen, as part of a plea agreement.
The backstory:
McLaughlin ran a rescue for special needs dogs before allegations of fraud and animal abuse surfaced in 2023.
The 50-year-old had two cases against her—one for animal cruelty charges and another for fraud and theft. One of the alleged victims is her elderly mother, who was living in McLaughlin’s home in September 2023 when authorities discovered 55 special needs dogs living in their own waste, as well as five dead dogs in a freezer. Investigators described the situation as a biohazard with "unbreathable" conditions.
April McLaughlin
In December 2025, we reported that McLaughlin had taken a plea deal, and pleaded guilty to four charges, including:
- Fraudulent Schemes & Artifices
- Taking the Identity of Another Person
- Two counts of Intentionally Subjecting a Domestic Animal to Cruel Mistreatment
What they're saying:
The sentencing drew animal rights advocates from across the country, many of whom expressed disappointment that the term was not longer. Judge Rueter cited McLaughlin’s lack of a criminal history and mental health struggles as mitigating factors in his decision.
In addition to animal neglect, McLaughlin was convicted of stealing $160,000 from her elderly mother, Kathleen, and collecting nearly $50,000 from various animal rescues under false pretenses. Her mother was found living inside the biohazardous home without a working toilet.
"I slept on a couch, had no working toilet and survived on cereal and apples that she periodically brought for me," Kathleen's sister, Marilyn Tremblay, said while reading a statement on her behalf.
Rebecca Chavez of Yaqui Animal Rescue in Texas was one of several rescuers who sent money and special-needs dogs to McLaughlin. "Had I known that she was hoarding these animals and mistreating these animals, and neglecting them, I would have never sent those dogs," Chavez said.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement that the crimes were "so serious and harmful" that they deserved the maximum prison sentence allowed under the law.
The city of Chandler is expected to dismiss more than 80 misdemeanor charges, including 77 counts of animal cruelty, following the state’s prison sentence.
McLaughlin declined to speak on her own behalf before being led away to begin her term.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from previous FOX 10 news reports on the matter.