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Steven Vassall, 29, learned his sentence
Tuesday in State Supreme Court after pleading guilty to scheming to
defraud and to unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine.
His case drew worldwide attention for the role
played by Fred the tabby, a rescued stray.
An investigator posing as Fred's owner had
summoned Vassall to an apartment rigged with a hidden camera early
last year and pretended the kitten needed to be neutered. Vassal
told him he could do it for $135, then was arrested as he left
carrying Fred in a box with the cash.
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 Vassall was accused of performing medical
procedures on at least 14 animals, according to his July indictment.
Under his plea bargain, he must attend an outpatient mental health
program and refrain from involvement in nursing or animal care.
Fred got a tiny badge on his collar, a Law
Enforcement Appreciation Award and was honored at an adopt-a-thon
benefit hosted by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters.
Officials had planned to use him in a classroom
program about animal care, but the 15-month-old tabby died in August
after wandering from his caretaker's home and into traffic,
according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
[Text copied
from file received from AP
Digital] |
