UPDATE: Nearly a year after Animal Recovery Mission’s groundbreaking undercover investigation exposed a horrific illegal slaughter farm in Fort Pierce, Florida, the two offenders behind the operation have pleaded guilty to multiple charges of animal cruelty and torture. These cold-blooded criminals, Miguel Cabrera and Ysairis Gonzalez, now face justice for their heinous crimes. But is it enough?
Miguel Cabrera has been sentenced to just 30 days in county jail and three years of probation, while Ysairis Gonzalez received three years of probation—a punishment that pales in comparison to the horrific suffering they inflicted upon innocent animals.
Despite the tireless work of the St. Lucie Sheriff’s Department and dedicated prosecutors, the judge’s sentencing has been met with disappointment. The founder of ARM expressed that the sentence “is inadequate for the torture, abuse, and terror these animals endured.”
While the sentencing may not reflect the severity of the crimes, this outcome still represents a victory for the surviving animals. The animals seized from Cabrera and Gonzalez are now receiving lifetime care at ARM’s sanctuary, where they are now safe from harm. Additionally, Cabrera’s operation has been permanently shut down, ensuring that no more animals will suffer at his hands.
March 6th: The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has made a second arrest of the associate of Miguel Cabrera, “The Butcher,” who was charged with felony crimes of animal cruelty resulting in death. Cabrera’s arrest followed a multi-task raid of an illegal slaughter farm at 200 Godwin Road, Fort Pierce, Florida, on February 14th, 2024.
Ysairis Gonzalez, a 50-year-old woman, was just apprehended after a search warrant was issued for connections of violent crimes being committed against animals with Cabrera three weeks ago.
Detectives have charged Gonzalez with two felony counts of animal cruelty, torture resulting in death, with bail set at $30,000. Her court dates and pleas are pending.
The multiple agency tactical strike that led to the arrests of Miguel Cabrera and Ysairis Gonzalez are the result of a six-month-long undercover investigation conducted by Animal Recovery Mission (ARM), who obtained undercover video footage of illegal and inhumane acts against animals that were in clear violation of the Humane Slaughter Act. The animals were killed without being rendered insensible to pain prior to being butchered and sold for human consumption.
Over 100 animals were seized from the property, including pigs, goats, sheep, cows, and birds, and were taken into custody by ARM where they have been receiving medical care and rehabilitation.
February 29th: Miguel Cabrera, 57, was arrested on February 14th, on felony animal cruelty charges for torturing animals to death. The arrest occurred during a raid on a property located at 200 Godwin Road, west of Fort Pierce, Florida.
The investigation titled ‘Operation Lebo’ has been a huge success thanks to the swift response and commitment of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office for seeing Animal Recovery Mission’s case to the finish line.
Following the raid, ARM took in over 100 animals in critical condition, who they are now working around the clock to save.
In May of 2023, ARM investigators pursued a lead after discovering a post on Craigslist that was advertising ‘live animals and meat for sale’ at two connected rural properties located in Ft. Pierce, Florida, lending to suspicions of organized criminal activity.
What followed was a covert operation where ARM gathered shocking, incriminating evidence of animals being traded and brutally butchered alive, without being rendered insensible to pain, prior to being killed. This is a federal crime in accordance with The Humane Slaughter ACT.
“The way these animals were killed for meat at the slaughterhouse was ghastly and criminal. The killers have been torturing animals for close to 40 years without penalty. This case is an example that animal defense organizations can work successfully with law-enforcement to help animals,” ARM founder Richard Kudo told WAN.
Some of the most violent acts caught on undercover cameras, included pigs being pinned down and stabbed in the heart, and screaming goats being dragged by their hind legs and then strung upside down before skinning and harvesting of their flesh, all while still conscious.
During ARM’s investigation of the illegal animal slaughter farm, animals were consistently documented living in barren, desolate conditions, often seen without clean drinking water, showing signs of illness and disease. These animals are bred and raised to be slaughtered and sold to customers for human consumption.
ARM’s evidence also unveiled animal fighting and ritualistic sacrifice activities.
ARM documented blood from slaughtered animals pooling and seeping into the ground around the area where they were butchered. Dead animals and body parts were also being illegally buried, burned, and disposed of in the trash and throughout the property, endangering the community’s public water supply and implicating severe environmental violations.
This illegal animal slaughter farm is operating without any license, insurance, or regulation with the USDA, putting consumers of the animals’ “meat” at grave risk.
ARM has identified the operation being run by a husband-and-wife team, as well as workers who all participated and are guilty of the crimes listed in the detailed report of this investigation.
