Dog dealer gets probation Friday on money laundering charges

Class B animal dealer C.C. Baird along with wife, Patsy, of Williford, Ark., were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay fines in federal court Friday for conspiracy to launder money.

C.C. Baird was featured in the HBO documentary "Dealing Dogs," which first aired in February. The documentary used undercover footage showing Baird and his business Martin Creek Kennels, keeping dogs for the purpose of harvesting organs and selling the animals to medical laboratories. These animals were often stolen, the documentary alleges, captured by "bunchers" who trolled rural roads and suburban neighborhoods.

Bunchers were said to be active in Southeast Missouri and Baird is known to have purchased dogs from a weekly flea market in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

C.C. Baird was sentenced to three years' probation including six months' home detention. He is forced to pay $7,500 in fines and a partial reimbursement totaling $42,400 to cover the costs of the USDA and Office of the Inspector General investigations.

The Bairds consented to a criminal forfeiture of $200,000 and around 700 acres in Sharp County, Ark., valued at approximately $1.1 million.

The documentary was filmed in 2002 as part of a six-month investigation conducted by a California-based animal rights group, Last Chance for Animals. In it, an undercover agent, "Pete," gained employment with Baird and documented abuses. These included killing and dismembering healthy dogs, unsanitary conditions and improper documentation for the animals.

Chris DeRose, president of LCA, said the sentence is a tough one and sets a good precedent.

"Because of the case-law this established, it sends a strong enough message to other class B dealers that if you get caught doing this you're going to be punished," DeRose said. "A lot of animal people are going to say they want him to go away for 10 or 20 years, but this sets the bar. These two people lost everything they had gained by making this blood money."

Baird's defense attorney, Tom Thompson, said in light of what his client was facing (up to 10 years in prison), the ruling was acceptable. "We thought it was a well thought-out and carefully crafted decision," Thompson said. The publicity around the trial "didn't affect the judge one bit."

DeRose said LCA will continue its investigations. "We are still very active out in the field. I have an investigator working undercover right now," he said.

"This will make anyone think more than twice before getting into this business," he said. "Now that there's federal case-law, the next person is going to prison. The only thing I regret is that the victims couldn't be there. There are tens of thousands of animal victims and people in a six-, seven-, eight-state area whose pets were taken and died horrendously."

tgreaney@semissourian.com

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