Man Who Tortured Cats for Profit Gets 15 Years
Newsweek contacted the Henrico County Circuit Court on Friday for indictment documents....The accounts raised more than $400,000, according to prosecutors.Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor described the prison term as the longest animal cruelty sentence imposed in Virginia. It “reflects the horrific crimes the defendant inflicted on these cats,” she said, local newspaper the Henrico Citizen reported.Travis pleaded guilty to six felony animal cruelty charges, one misdemeanor animal cruelty charge and three felony computer fraud charges. Travis asked viewers for money while claiming Hayden had cancer, according to the complaint.
- ▪Newsweek contacted the Henrico County Circuit Court on Friday for indictment documents....The accounts raised more than $400,000, according to prosecutors.Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor described the prison term as the longe
- ▪It “reflects the horrific crimes the defendant inflicted on these cats,” she said, local newspaper the Henrico Citizen reported.Travis pleaded guilty to six felony animal cruelty charges, one misdemeanor animal cruelty charge and three felo
- ▪Travis asked viewers for money while claiming Hayden had cancer, according to the complaint.
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| Original publisher | Newsweek |
| Canonical URL | https://www.newsweek.com/man-who-tortured-cats-for-profit-gets-15-years-12490363 |
| Publication time | Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:09:35 -0400 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-25T18:34:26.740Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-25T18:34:26.740Z |
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| Cluster | Y7749YJxtxuT · 1 stories |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
By Jordan KingReporter0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.A Virginia man who tortured cats and then used images and videos of their injuries to scam people into donating money to what they thought were pets needing treatment for cancer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.Rodney Travis Jr., 27, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and computer fraud at Henrico County Circuit Court in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday.Judge Linda Lambert accepted a plea agreement, reviewed by Newsweek, that requires Travis to serve 15 years in prison and bars him from owning or intentionally having contact with animals for life.Read More on NewsProsecutors said Travis beat and…
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