Wrightwood woman guilty of fraudulent horse sales10:44 PM PDT on Friday, August 27, 2010
A Wrightwood woman defrauded horse buyers across North America by selling sick or abused horses over the Internet to customers who thought they were buying healthy animals, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Trina Lee Kenney, 32, pleaded guilty to mail fraud Thursday, admitting that she defrauded at least 61 prospective horse buyers in 23 states and Canada, a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office said.
She will appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Sept. 7 for arraignment. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
Kenney was arrested after she accepted $5,000 from an FBI agent and U.S. postal inspector, both working undercover, for a horse she never delivered, prosecutors said.
They began investigating after complaints were made by horse-buyers about sales she had made on several equestrian-related websites.
Kenney would make false claims about the breeds, pedigree and health of the horses she had listed for sale, prosecutors said. She offered money-back guarantees to unsatisfied customers yet would not respond or threaten to sue when buyers complained, they said.
Some buyers didn't receive horses and others said they were sent horses that were starved, covered in sores and cuts, couldn't walk because their hooves hadn't been trimmed, or suffered from strangles, a contagious equine respiratory disease, prosecutors said.
In her plea agreement, Kenney admitted to once drugging a horse to make it appear docile when showing it to a buyer. She painted at least two horses black, covering up their true brown color, prosecutors said.
Reach Imran Ghori at 951-368-9558 or
ighori@PE.com
