NY: New Brighton Man Pleads Guilty to Dog Fighting Charge

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A New Brighton man, accused of training his pit bull to fight, has pleaded guilty to a felony dog-fighting charge in the first such case on Staten Island, said prosecutors.

Luthman Sefu, then 23, was busted in May, along with a co-defendant Scott Perlmutter, then 25, when cops raided adjoining Stanley Avenue residences, prosecutors said.

Cops found a male blue-nose pit bull named "Blue," and a younger, tan-colored female pit bull named "Royalty," in one residence, said a criminal complaint.

A male red-nose pit bull named "Smoke," was discovered in the other home, the complaint said.

Both male dogs were between the ages of 3 and 6, officials said.

Sefu, whose name also appears as "Sefu Luthman," in court documents, said he owns Blue and Royalty, according to the complaint. Perlmutter said Smoke was his dog.

An ASPCA veterinarian examined the animals and determined Blue and Smoke had "dog-fighting scars," about their face, neck and feet, said the complaint.

Inside the residence where Perlmutter said he kept Smoke, officers observed stains and feces on the carpet in one room, the complaint said. They also found a stick used to break up dogs during a fight, said the complaint.

Sefu told cops the pit bulls had fought in the backyard when Blue got loose next door and ran into the yard, the complaint said.

During a search of Sefu's residence, cops found a loaded and defaced .44-caliber handgun and five bullets on a rear deck, said the complaint. They also allegedly observed a bag with crack cocaine residue in the basement.

Sefu pleaded guilty Monday in Criminal Court to felony charges of violating prohibitions against animal fighting and to criminal weapon possession to resolve the two cases against him.

In exchange for his pleas, he'll be sentenced on Sept. 27 to concurrent jail terms of one year, said prosecutors. In addition, he is banned from owning an animal for seven years, and the two dogs involved in the fighting must be surrendered, prosecutors said.

Sefu must also register with the city Animal Abuse Registry.

"Forcing innocent dogs to fight for one's own twisted amusement is a truly disgraceful and deplorable act," said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a statement. "Preventing this type of crime is precisely why I created an Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit, and my office will continue to aggressively pursue cases against any individual who endangers the welfare of defenseless animals."

"Not only did this defendant abuse these dogs, but he was also found to be in possession of a dangerous and illegal firearm," McMahon said. "I would like to thank Assistant District Attorney Jane Grinberg for securing this prosecution, which marks the first dog-fighting case in Staten Island."


Smoke, a pit bull, was trained by his owner to fight other dogs and was hurt, allege authorities.


Mark Geisser, Sefu's lawyer, declined comment on the cases.

Perlmutter's cases are pending in Criminal Court.

By Frank Donnelly on September 13, 2016 at 6:11 PM, updated September 13, 2016 at 6:12 PM
http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2016/09/dog-fighting_plea_is_a_first_f.html