Just Pups Owner Pleads Guilty, Will Pay $19,000

PARAMUS, N.J. — Vincent LoSacco, the embattled owner of the Just Pups pet stores, pleaded guilty Wednesday to health code violations related to the discovery of 67 puppies crammed into a van behind his store in April, officials confirmed.

LoSacco pleaded guilty to four health-code violations and must pay $19,000 in restitution. He originally faced hundreds of charges related to the incident, but the majority of those charges were dropped, NorthJersey.com reported.

The $19,000 will be paid to Carol Tyler, an animal control officer with Tyco Animal Control, the company Paramus and other municipalities contract with for their animal control services, NorthJersey.com reported.

The Paramus Board of Health issued more than 400 summonses against LoSacco and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office filed 134 animal cruelty charges against him after the dogs were discovered inside a near-freezing van, police said. LoSacco's brother, Leonard, admitted leaving the dogs in the van outside the store after transporting them to New Jersey from out of state, authorities said.

RELATED: Just Pups Owner Charged With 134 Counts Of Animal Cruelty

The case set off a firestorm of controversy and galvanized animal rights groups into action. The state legislature is considering a bill that, if approved, would ban the sale of puppies and kittens from supposed pet mill stores. Several Bergen County municipalities, including Paramus, have already approved similar legislation.

LoSacco got in trouble with authorities after inspectors found three dead dogs inside a freezer at the Just Pups location in East Brunswick in January. The East Brunswick Town Council revoked LoSacco's health license March 28 and shut the store down. The NJSPCA filed 267 animal cruelty charges against the pet store after the dead dogs were found. LoSacco agreed in July to close the Emerson location and the Paramus store was also closed. The East Hanover store is the only one left open.

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Some of the dogs that police found inside the van in near-freezing temperatures outside the Paramus Just Pups store in April. — Paramus Police Department