Placerville, CA. - Ginger Turk, 46, formerly of
El Dorado Hills, was sentenced on November 18, 2016, in El Dorado County
Superior Court by Judge 
Kenneth Mellikian for felony animal cruelty, operating
without a license and eleven other counts related to her sale of puppies
imported from South Korea. Turk, a puppy broker, imported tiny, under-aged,
un-weaned, high-priced ($4,000+) puppies from South Korea and sold them over
the internet and in person. Turk lived in multiple locations over the years,
including Sacramento and El Dorado county residences, and operated under
multiple business names such as Teacup Puppy Couture, La Chic Puppy Boutique and Beverly Hills Teacups, and used
multiple aliases such as Ginger Maree (Hunter), Jen Turk and Jenna Brennan. The
Humane Society of the United States and the City of Folsom Animal Services
Department assisted El Dorado County with the investigation.
Turk was sentenced
to one year in the County jail, is prohibited from selling, possessing,
transporting or importing dogs for at least 10 years and is required to pay
restitution for the investigation and other penalty assessments. Additionally
Turk will be on felony probation for five years with searchable provision and required
to notify any animal services agency where she resides of her address and any
name change. Turk must report to the County jail on January 13, 2017.
“We are glad
to see Turk’s operation shut down so that no more animals suffer,” said Henry
Brzezinski, Chief of El Dorado County Animal Services. “We also hope the case
helps bring awareness to the puppy buying community. We encourage people to
look to adopt from a local government or non-profit animal shelter. When
choosing to use a private breeder, it is important for consumers to do their
homework. If they suspect illegal activity or inhumane treatment of animals,
they should contact their local animal services agency or law enforcement.”
Turk sold
animals throughout the US and in other countries. She has had multiple
complaints from consumers who purchased sick puppies from her.
In 2012, Turk
was convicted in Sacramento Superior Court of felony forgery charges after a
woman purchased a sick puppy online from her. The puppy died of Parvovirus
within a few days. The buyer contacted the veterinarian who appeared to have
signed the puppy’s health documents, only to be told that the papers were
forged. Investigation of the case determined that Turk had fraudulently forged
the signature of a Folsom veterinarian. Court documents showed numerous other
complainants who reported that puppies they bought from Turk were received sick
or diseased, and some died. Turk was sentenced to five years of probation in
the Sacramento County case.
In May 2014,
during a felony probation search of the Turk home in El Dorado Hills, Animal
Services Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies found that Turk was operating
illegally without a license and had puppies imported from South Korea in her
possession. One puppy was only a few weeks old and barely alive, its mouth
sealed shut, dehydrated, and severely underweight. Animal Services took the puppy to a
veterinarian who provided care for dehydration and malnutrition but the puppy
died the next day. Other under-age puppies were also found in poor living
conditions in the Turk home, including several puppies living in small
plexiglass cages in a laundry room that lacked proper ventilation, with a
strong smell of feces and urine permeating the room.
Turk was
listed in the Humane Society of the United States’ 2014 publication, “101 Puppy
Mills: A Sampling of Problem Puppy Mills in the United States.” Federal
regulations require dogs imported from other countries to be healthy and at least
6 months of age. California law prohibits the sale of any dog under the age of
8 weeks. Anyone selling dogs commercially in California must maintain a current
Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats license through the State; they may also be
required to possess a City or County Commercial Animal License.
Noting his
office’s commitment to ensure that animal abusers are held accountable for
their crimes, El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson stated, “This
case represents a stunning example of greed, where the most vulnerable of
creatures were sacrificed so that Ms. Turk could enrich herself. The fact
that Ms. Turk engaged in these multiple acts of animal cruelty while on
probation for a related crime (forging veterinary documents) evidences her
complete disregard for the lives of these puppies, as well as for our
laws. Hopefully, this prosecution will not only save lives by preventing
Ms. Turk from exploiting other dogs in the future, but will also serve as a
warning to those who might engage in similar criminal conduct that animal
cruelty will not be tolerated.”
Brzezinski
expressed gratitude to agency partners who helped bring resolution to the Turk
case. “We’d like to thank the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office
specifically District Attorney Vern Pierson and Deputy District Attorneys Lydia
Stuart, Trish Kelliher and Edwin Kim, Humane Society of the United States
Senior Law Enforcement Specialist Eric Sakach and City of Folsom Animal
Services Department Officer Cindy Walden for their assistance and prosecution
of this case,” said Brzezinski.
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