Overview
- April McLaughlin, also known as Sydney S. McKinley, received a 3.5‑year prison term with credit for time served, leaving roughly two years to complete.
- The court imposed seven years of supervised probation after release and barred her from owning animals.
- She must pay at least $173,000 in restitution, including $124,000 to her mother, and complete an animal‑cruelty prevention course.
- McLaughlin pleaded guilty to fraudulent schemes, taking the identity of another person, and two counts of intentionally subjecting a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment as other charges were dropped.
- Authorities previously seized about 55–60 dogs from her Chandler home and found five dead dogs in a freezer in conditions investigators described as a biohazard.