The Woodbridge pet shop owner charged with animal cruelty can't be involved with an animal business for 20 years.
WOODBRIDGE -- A pet shop owner, charged in December with animal cruelty, has pleaded guilty to animal health care violations and been ordered to stay away from any business having to do with animals for the next 20 years.
Rocco Garruto, owner of Fancy Pups, appeared in municipal court Monday night, and pleaded guilty to failure to implement and maintain a disease control program at his store.
Woodbridge officials said five other summonses against Garruto were dismissed as part of the plea bargain. A $100 fine was assessed and $2,900 will be paid to the Woodbridge Animal Control through the court as restitution.
The bargain requires Garruto will not be allowed to be involved with, own, or have any interest in any business having to do with animals for the next 20 years.
Officials said Garruto also owes fines, fees and restitution judgments in the amount of an additional $15,000 from summonses given him by the New Jersey Society for the Protection of Animals (NJSPCA).
Officials said the Middlesex County Division of Consumer Affairs was not a party to the agreement with Garruto and he faces about $90,000 in fines from the county.
Garruto said he agreed to plead guilty because it "made sense."
"It would have been way to expensive to go against the health department, animal control and the NJSPCA," he said. "I consider the deal they gave me very favorable."
Garruto said he hasn't "signed off" yet on the part that prohibits him from having anything to do with businesses involving animals, although he acknowledges that that's part of the agreement.
He said he is taking the county consumer affairs summonses to court and insists he was not guilty of mistreating any animals in his care.
"People wanted me to fight this, but I did what made sense financially," Garruto said.
Garruto was charged with animal cruelty in December, after an inspection on Dec. 8 found that Garruto kept dogs in squalid cages, covered in feces and urine, without access to water, according to the NJSPCA.
On Christmas Eve, authorities said they learned that Garruto was continuing to sell dogs, even after a quarantine order stemming from the Dec. 8 inspection. A stronger court order went into effect on Christmas Eve, but Garruto kept selling dogs and was arrested, authorities said.
Garruto claimed he was the victim of overzealous authorities who made things personal and wanted to shut down his shop because they don't like pet shops at all.
Garruto lost his license to sell animals after his arrest and the cruelty charges.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.