Overview

• Haddix pleaded guilty in March to two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for falsely declaring her chimp Tonka dead to thwart a 2016 PETA lawsuit.
• U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced her on August 7 to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
• Federal marshals rescued Tonka in June 2022 from a basement cage after HBO documentary footage contradicted Haddix’s claims of the ape’s death.
• A July 9 court-ordered search uncovered another live chimp in her Camden County home, leading to her detention for violating pretrial release conditions.
• Animal welfare advocates have renewed calls for the Captive Primate Safety Act to strengthen oversight of exotic animal ownership.