Overview
- A judge credited more than two years already served, leaving roughly two years to complete under concurrent sentences for fraud and animal cruelty.
- The punishment includes seven years of supervised probation, a ban on owning animals, and at least $173,000 in restitution, with about $124,000 owed to her mother.
- McLaughlin pleaded guilty to fraudulent schemes, taking another person’s identity, and two counts of intentionally subjecting a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment, with other charges dismissed.
- Chandler police seized an estimated 55–60 special-needs dogs from her home on Sept. 22, 2023, and found multiple dead dogs in freezers, with some surviving animals later euthanized.
- Public outcry spurred Chandler to tighten ordinances on cruelty, neglect, and hoarding and to allow immediate animal seizures, while Arizona enacted SB 1658, known as Jerry’s Law, to set basic care standards.