A Cloverdale man convicted of abusing 12 horses must pay $76,000 in restitution, a Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday,
Defendant Joseph Fraga Rafael, 67, was ordered to pay $76,816 to the Sonoma County Change Organization (CHANGE,) a non-profit dedicated to preventing equine abuse. The total represents the cost of recuperative care for 12 horses, found “extremely malnourished and (with) various untreated medical conditions.”
The defendant had pled “no contest” to three counts of felony animal neglect/abuse on June 7, 2018, and was sentenced to five years of probation and 240 hours of community service work. He was also ordered not to possess animals for five years.
At the time of his plea the court ordered that the specific amount of restitution was to be determined at a later date. That total was determined and ordered on Wednesday.
The underlying charges in the case resulted from a law enforcement investigation conducted in March of 2018 that discovered a deceased horse on the defendant’s property. A further search uncovered 12 additional horses without adequate food and shelter.
The horses were found to be extremely malnourished and had various untreated medical conditions. The horses were seized by Sonoma County Animal Services and then transferred to CHANGE; the organization then treated, rehabilitated, and rehomed all 12 horses.
The horses all remained in the care of CHANGE for anywhere from three months to two years. The restitution amount reflected the expenses incurred by CHANGE in rehabilitating and housing the horses.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Marianna Green and Jessalee Mills. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and Sonoma County Animal Services headed the investigation.
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