Arizona man sentenced to prison for illegally owning guns, torturing and killing pigeons
TEMPE, Ariz. - A Tempe man was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for illegally owning guns and ammo, as well as documenting the torture and killing of pigeons.
Timeline:
On Oct. 3, 2024, Eric Thomas Scionti, 36, pleaded guilty, in two separate cases, to the crimes of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person and animal crushing.
On Feb. 18, he was sentenced to 47 months in prison, which will be followed by three years of supervised release.
The backstory:
This all started when, on Jan. 18, 2023, federal agents seized six guns and 1,826 rounds of ammo at Scionti's home.
"Scionti had previously been convicted of multiple Arizona state felonies and was consequently prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition," said a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.
Months later, in September, federal agents were given the OK to search records and information associated with Scionti's email address.
"During that search, agents seized approximately 168 videos and 89 digital photographs depicting Scionti torturing and mutilating live pigeons," the FBI said.
The FBI investigated this case and the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled prosecution.