Anthony Appolonia is under investigation by the Delaware Attorney General's Office for allegedly adopting cats he can't account for
The Delaware Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation to determine if a former Monmouth County man who tortured and killed cats in New Jersey is now targeting animals in Delaware.
Nicole Byers, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Matthew Denn, confirmed Friday the agency has opened an inquiry into Anthony Appolonia, 58, a Dover, Del., resident who spent nearly five years in prison in New Jersey after pleading guilty to killing 19 cats in just two months.
Citing agency policy, Byers said she could not provide details of the inquiry.
The investigation comes in the wake of an NJ Advance Media report about Appolonia's alleged adoptions of at least five kittens and cats in Delaware in the past 10 months. The report quoted residents who said they unwittingly gave him the animals after he responded to their offers for free or low-cost cats on Craigslist.
The cats are now nowhere to be found, and the former owners suspect they are dead. In the days since the report ran, another Delaware resident told NJ Advance Media she gave Appolonia her cat, Harley, in September 2015. The woman, Alicia Dobies, provided screen shots of text messages containing Appolonia's phone number.
Appolonia moved to Delaware after his release from prison in November 2012. He has denied accepting cats, calling the allegations a conspiracy by animal rights activists to frame him. He could not be reached by phone Friday, and he did not respond to an email.
The investigation by the Attorney General's Office augments one conducted by Delaware's Office of Animal Welfare, which has been harshly criticized for failing to look into the case with more vigor since it was made aware of the alleged adoptions in January.
Mark Mueller may be reached at mmueller@njadvancemedia.com or at (862) 763-1404. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJMueller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.