Texas dog breeder indicted for wire fraud after viral shooting video sparks massive animal cruelty raid

Federal authorities have indicted a dog breeder who was secretly recorded on video shooting and killing a dog, which led to a raid on her East Texas ranch. 

Monday, the owner, Kristine Hicks, appeared at the federal courthouse in Plano – the first case prosecuted by a new federal animal cruelty task force created by the U.S. Attorney General. 

Hicks was arraigned on charges of operating an unlicensed dog-breeding facility and wire fraud. 

Federal authorities allege in an indictment that the images portrayed of dogs raised and offered for sale at the Giant German Shepherd Ranch in Hopkins County were a disguise for a place where, instead, cruelty and neglect were rampant. 

"In Texas, we take animal cruelty very seriously. Texans understand how important animals are to our lives," said Jay Combs, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. 

Combs oversaw a federal raid on the 80-acre property in January after a viral video circulated of Hicks tying a dog to a tree and then shooting it three times until it eventually died. 

Combs said Hicks' business falsely promoted AKC-registered dogs offered for thousands of dollars through online sales. 

Photos on social media show what appear to be healthy dogs, but Combs said they were not. 

"It shows you know a happy environment, dogs that, you know, appear to be healthy and well cared for, cute and attractive. What we encountered on the ground after looking into that horrific dog shooting, it was anything but," said Combs. 

During the January raid, authorities discovered 88 dogs living in cramped cages, full of their own waste, without access to food or water. 

They were seized, and Hicks was initially charged with animal cruelty. But she's been indicted for wire fraud related to false advertising because, authorities said, it comes with a stiffer sentence. 

The indictment said one customer paid $10,000 in vet bills after buying sick German shepherds. 

Authorities said, in another case, a dog sold as a service animal to a paralyzed veteran ended up attacking him. 

"What she provided him after he paid thousands of dollars was a mean, ill-tempered dog, a dog that was not AKC registered, as USDA confirmed with DNA tests, and that the dog was so ill-tempered, in fact, has bit him on multiple occasions, drawing blood and bit him on the face," said Combs. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi recently visited one of the rescue facilities where the dogs are now being cared for and will eventually be offered for adoption. 

Hicks' attorney declined to comment on the charges. 

If convicted, the 51-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison.