Sinister twist for SoCal woman accused of luring puppy under minivan and crushing it to death

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A woman who allegedly lured a pit bull puppy underneath her van with food before crushing it to death under the tire is now facing federal animal cruelty charges.

Anaheim resident Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, has been federally charged with felony animal crushing, officials announced on Friday. Nguyen allegedly lured the puppy underneath her minivan in Orange County on Sept. 8 before allegedly crushing it with her vehicle.

The alleged animal abuser is now facing the federal charge in addition to several state charges, including felony animal cruelty, in Orange County Superior Court.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli credited the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, passed during the Trump administration in 2019, for enabling the federal prosecution.

“Luring a defenseless puppy with food only to crush him beneath a vehicle is an act of appalling cruelty,” Essayli said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump signing the PACT Act into law, we can bring federal charges for the horrific abuse alleged in this case. We will use every federal tool available to hold animal abusers accountable.”

The federal complaint included an X-ray of the dead puppy, an animal that federal officials say suffered greatly in the minutes after the alleged crushing. The puppy’s cause of death was a crushed skull, officials said.

An autopsy also found evidence that the puppy was suffering from an intestinal blockage from a large quantity of pistachio shells. The blockage likely occurred within the last 72 hours of its life.

The federal criminal complaint noted that Nguyen told police the vehicle in the video was hers but said the dog had been hit by a car and died a month prior. She denied hitting a dog with her car.

A Flock Safety camera in the vicinity of the crime assisted police in identifying her vehicle.

Authorities previously said Nguyen admitted to owning and abandoning her nine-month-old pit bull named “Blackey.” A local resident initially alerted authorities after spotting the dead pit bull in the street, suspecting the dog had been intentionally killed.

Essayli said Nguyen faces up to 7 years in federal prison if convicted.

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