A 75-year-old Anaheim woman previously facing state felony charges of running over and killing her puppy after allegedly luring it beneath her minivan with dog food is now facing a federal animal cruelty charge, authorities announced Thursday, Oct. 29.
Hanh Minh Nguyen has been charged with animal crushing, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nguyen already was charged with animal cruelty and abuse charges in Orange County Superior Court in connection with the Sept. 8 killing of Blackey, her 9-month-old black-and-white pit bull mix. She also faces a state felony enhancement for allegedly using her vehicle as a weapon.
She is due in Orange County Superior Court for her arraignment in that case on Nov. 2, records show.
Federal prosecutors declined to explain why they decided to bring charges against Nguyen while she already faces prosecution in Orange County.
Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment on the federal case or whether prosecutors had been notified of the charges in advance. However, she said the federal charges would not change the district attorney’s case against Nguyen.
“It doesn’t impact our prosecution,” Edds said.
It was not clear on Friday when Nguyen would appear in federal court.
The federal charge was brought under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, a 2019 law that expanded an earlier federal ban on videos depicting extreme animal cruelty.
State and federal authorities generally can prosecute the same conduct separately without violating double-jeopardy protections, provided each is enforcing its own laws, under a legal principle known as the dual-sovereignty doctrine, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019.
Both the state and federal cases have cited surveillance footage showing Nguyen releasing the puppy from her Honda Odyssey minivan before dropping what appeared to be food near the driver’s side door and motioning for the animal to approach.
As Nguyen drove forward, the minivan’s rear tire ran over the puppy, and the vehicle remained stopped on top of the animal for approximately 15 seconds before she drove away, prosecutors alleged.
An autopsy determined that the puppy died from a crushed skull that caused extensive brain damage. Investigators said the dog remained alive for several minutes after being run over.
Nguyen was arrested Oct. 1 and later released on $20,000 bail in the state case.
The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act was passed unanimously by the U.S. House and Senate in 2019 and signed into law by President Trump that year.
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