A Missouri woman has admitted that she committed a crime when she lied about the status of a chimp named Tonka.
Tonia Haddix pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to two counts of perjury and a count of obstruction of justice. All are felonies. Sentencing is currently set for July 16.
“Individuals go to court to seek justice,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said to reporters outside the courthouse in downtown St. Louis after Haddix’s plea hearing. “There can only be justice from the court if those individuals are honest.”
An attorney for Haddix, Justin Gelfand, said he was “happy that we were able to negotiate a fair resolution that was in our client’s best interest. She looks forward to putting this behind her.”
The charges have their roots in a complicated civil case involving the Missouri Primate Foundation, which once bred chimpanzees for the entertainment industry, and the animal rights groups People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA accused the foundation of housing Tonka and six other chimps in a series of “barren and unsanitary enclosures,” which violated the terms of the Endangered Species Act.
A deal reached in October 2020 required Haddix, who was running the facility in Festus, Missouri, to surrender the seven chimps living there. But when the time came in 2021 for the chimps to be transferred to the Center for Great Apes in Florida, Haddix falsely claimed that one of them, Tonka, had died.
Tonka was later found alive in a cage in a basement. He’s now living at a different chimpanzee sanctuary in Florida.
In a statement, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said the organization hopes Haddix’s sentence includes prison time “so she can get a taste of the suffering she condemned Tonka and other animals to. When PETA and U.S. Marshals found where Haddix had hidden Tonka, he was alone, locked in a tiny cage in Haddix’s dark basement, isolated, and denied everything necessary for a healthy, happy life. “
Haddix admitted that she lied when she submitted a sworn statement in August 2021 saying that Tonka had died and that she had been given his cremated remains. Haddix also admitted that she lied under oath during a January 2022 court hearing about whether she should be held in contempt for not turning Tonka over to the sanctuary.
The obstruction of justice charge stems from a 2021 motion to dismiss the ongoing civil case against Haddix in which she again claimed Tonka was dead.
Senior U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry, who was originally assigned to the civil case, had referred Haddix for criminal prosecution in November. She has since recused herself from the proceedings. U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark is now hearing both the civil and criminal cases.
Haddix, 55, wore a black dress with pastel flowers and black open-toed sandals studded with rhinestones. She sat at the table with Gelfand, occasionally glancing at the media in the room before the hearing began. During the hearing, she was laser-focused on Judge Clark, answering his questions politely, though in a tone that at times sounded weary and resigned.
Haddix’s composure cracked just once, when she officially entered her plea of guilty.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that under federal sentencing guidelines, Haddix should serve about 7 ½ years in prison for each count at the most. But that sentence will be up to Clark, who at the end of the hearing appeared to raise doubts that Haddix was truly taking responsibility for the crimes.
Clark instructed attorneys to be prepared to address Haddix’s level of remorse as they file documents related to sentencing. He specifically referenced remarks Haddix made in episodes of her podcast that he said could be construed to suggest that she did not take responsibility or that she was being unfairly targeted.
“If between now and sentencing you make statements to suggest that you do not accept responsibility, I will take that into account,” Clark warned Haddix. “I encourage you to confer with counsel before making any statements.”
This story has been updated with comments from PETA.
