HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Virginia man received a historic 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in a Henrico courtroom to several charges related to abusing dozens of cats and scamming nearly $400,000 through fundraisers — a case prosecutors are calling the worst animal abuse case Virginia has ever seen.
Rodney Travis Jr., 27, adopted cats from various shelters in Virginia, took them to hotels, abused them, and posted pictures and videos of their injuries to social media. He would then claim the cats had cancer and ask for donations to cover medical bills.
“It was not only just done out of cruelty; it’s done for money, and for what seems to be amusement,” a prosecutor said…