Tonia Haddix was sentenced on August 7, 2025, to 46 months in federal prison—three years and 10 months—after pleading guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. She also received three years of supervised release.
The case was not a criminal animal-cruelty prosecution. The charges concerned Haddix’s repeated sworn claims that chimpanzee Tonka had died, when prosecutors said she was concealing him and using those false statements to delay a federal court case. Tonka was later found alive in Haddix’s basement and transferred to a sanctuary. As of August 10, 2026, Haddix’s appeal of the sentence remained unresolved in the latest public filings located.
The short answer
Haddix, who became widely known through HBO’s Chimp Crazy, pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025, rather than going to trial. The three felony counts arose from her efforts to hide Tonka from a court-ordered transfer and then support that concealment with false statements under oath.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Haddix claimed that Tonka had died around May 30, 2021, and that her husband had cremated him. She repeated that account in a sworn declaration, a court motion, and testimony at a January 5, 2022, contempt hearing. Evidence later showed Tonka was alive. He was found in a cage in Haddix’s basement in June 2022 and moved to a Save the Chimps sanctuary.
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Judge Stephen R. Clark ultimately imposed 46 months—longer than the sentence range originally associated with the plea arrangement, but shorter than the term sought by pre-sentence officers, according to published sentencing coverage. The judge’s decision reflected not only the original lies but also the length of the deception, the resources consumed by the litigation, and alleged violations that occurred after Haddix entered her guilty plea.
What Tonia Haddix pleaded guilty to
Haddix waived indictment and pleaded guilty to:
- Two counts of perjury: false statements in court filings and sworn testimony about Tonka’s supposed death and cremation.
- One count of obstruction of justice: false representations that affected and delayed the underlying federal civil case.
She was not found guilty by a jury. The legally accurate description is that she pleaded guilty and was sentenced on those charges.
The distinction matters because coverage of the case can make it sound as if Haddix was sent to prison for “chimp abuse.” Animal-welfare allegations formed the background of the civil dispute and were part of the context surrounding sentencing, but the formal federal criminal convictions were for perjury and obstruction of justice. The Justice Department specifically said the prosecution was about Haddix’s conduct toward the judicial process, not simply her exotic-animal business.
How Tonka became the center of the case
The criminal case grew out of a separate civil lawsuit involving the care and housing of primates at or associated with the Missouri Primate Foundation near Festus, Missouri. PETA’s civil litigation began in 2016. A 2020 consent decree imposed obligations concerning the chimpanzees, and in July 2021 a federal court ordered that they be transferred.
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Six chimpanzees were removed on July 28, 2021. Haddix, however, had secretly moved Tonka elsewhere. She later said Tonka had died and that his remains had been cremated. The story appeared in several forms:
- Haddix claimed Tonka died on or about May 30, 2021.
- She stated that her husband had cremated the chimpanzee.
- She repeated the account in a sworn declaration and a motion filed in the civil case.
- She testified consistently with that account at the January 2022 contempt hearing.
PETA later obtained evidence suggesting Tonka was alive and sought emergency relief from the court. The court-authorized effort eventually located him alive in a basement cage at Haddix’s home in June 2022.
Public records do not use exactly the same date for Tonka’s final rescue and transfer. The Justice Department’s sentencing release says June 8, 2022; a USDA administrative decision identifies June 5; and civil-case materials and some news reports use June 6. For that reason, the most accurate general description is that Tonka was found and transferred in June 2022.
Tonka was then transferred to Save the Chimps in Florida, where the Justice Department says he remains. PETA has said that he later reunited with his biological son, Cayleb, and has access to outdoor space and other chimpanzees. Those more detailed welfare descriptions are PETA’s account.
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The legal timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2016 | PETA’s civil case concerning primate care and housing began. |
| 2020 | A consent decree imposed obligations concerning the chimpanzees. |
| July 2021 | A federal court ordered the chimpanzees transferred. Six were removed on July 28, but Tonka had been moved secretly. |
| Late 2021–January 2022 | Haddix maintained that Tonka had died and repeated the account in sworn court materials and testimony. |
| June 2022 | Tonka was found alive in a cage in Haddix’s basement and transferred to a sanctuary. |
| 2024 | HBO’s Chimp Crazy brought the dispute to a much wider audience and renewed public attention to Tonka’s concealment and the broader primate controversy. |
| March 31, 2025 | Haddix pleaded guilty to two perjury counts and one obstruction count. |
| April–July 2025 | After the plea, authorities discovered that another chimpanzee had allegedly been concealed at Haddix’s home. She was arrested after admitting violations of her pretrial-release conditions. |
| August 7, 2025 | Judge Clark sentenced Haddix to 46 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. |
| 2026 | Haddix appealed the length and reasonableness of her sentence in the Eighth Circuit, case No. 25-2649. |
Why was the sentence 46 months?
The 46-month sentence was the result of a sentencing dispute that changed as the case developed. It was not simply the automatic term promised in the original plea arrangement.
Published accounts identified several different figures at different stages:
| Figure | Who or what it represented |
|---|---|
| 10–16 months | The range reportedly contemplated in the original plea arrangement. |
| One year and one day | The sentence defense counsel later requested. |
| 24–30 months | A later guideline calculation described in published reports. |
| At least 51 months | The term pre-sentence officers reportedly recommended. |
| 46 months | The sentence Judge Clark imposed on August 7, 2025. |
These numbers came from different recommendations and stages of the case. They were not all competing court rulings, so they should not be presented as though the court repeatedly changed the same official sentence.
The judge and prosecutors emphasized several aggravating circumstances:
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- Repeated deception: Haddix did not make a single inaccurate statement. Prosecutors said she repeated the death and cremation story in filings and testimony over an extended period.
- Interference with the civil case: The false account delayed proceedings and forced the court, PETA, and government personnel to spend additional time and resources determining what had happened to Tonka.
- Planning: Prosecutors argued that moving and concealing Tonka required preparation rather than being an impulsive act.
- Defiance of court authority: Prosecutors argued that Haddix showed little or no remorse and continued resisting the court’s orders.
- Post-plea conduct: A second chimpanzee was found in a basement cage after Haddix had pleaded guilty. The discovery led to allegations that she violated her bond conditions and court restrictions on possessing chimpanzees.
- Publicity and financial benefit: The government argued that Haddix gained attention and money from the notoriety surrounding the dispute, including media appearances, merchandise, podcasts, drawings, and personalized appearances.
Not every point above is an independent criminal finding. Some were arguments by prosecutors or considerations presented to the court at sentencing. The most important practical development was that Haddix’s conduct after the guilty plea gave the court additional information when deciding how much punishment was necessary.
The second hidden chimpanzee
The second chimpanzee was not Tonka, and the animal was not the subject of the three-count guilty plea. It also did not automatically create a new federal conviction in the public record described here.
According to the Justice Department and KCUR reporting, about two weeks after the March 31, 2025, plea, Haddix concealed another chimpanzee from pretrial-services officers. The animal was found in a cage in the basement of Haddix’s property near Sunrise Beach in Camden County during a court-ordered search on July 9, 2025. Haddix was arrested on July 19 and remained in custody pending sentencing after admitting bond violations.
This episode mattered to the 46-month sentence because it suggested continued noncompliance with court restrictions after Haddix had already accepted responsibility for the Tonka-related crimes. It also raised separate issues under the 2020 consent decree and the conditions of her pretrial release.
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What Haddix’s defense argued
Haddix’s lawyers presented a substantially different picture of the appropriate punishment. Their arguments, as reported by St. Louis Public Radio and other coverage, included:
- The offenses were nonviolent.
- Haddix had little or no prior criminal history.
- She accepted responsibility by pleading guilty.
- She was unlikely to reoffend.
- Her conduct was driven by an intense emotional attachment to Tonka, rather than a plan to harm people or obtain financial gain.
- Her personal history included an unstable and abusive upbringing and abusive adult relationships.
The defense argued that 46 months treated Haddix as if she were a violent, financially motivated, or dangerous offender. Counsel sought a much shorter sentence, including a request for one year and one day.
The competing accounts also involved motive. The defense emphasized love and attachment to Tonka. Prosecutors and PETA emphasized deliberate defiance of court authority, hostility toward PETA, and alleged publicity or financial incentives. Motive was therefore disputed at sentencing and remains relevant to Haddix’s appeal.
What the sentence includes
The federal criminal sentence consists of:
- 46 months in federal prison, equal to three years and 10 months;
- three years of supervised release after imprisonment; and
- financial obligations discussed in connection with the underlying civil fee award.
Reports said Judge Clark required Haddix to establish a payment plan for the civil award. That financial obligation should not automatically be called criminal restitution. In the separate civil case, a federal court awarded PETA and Angela Scott:
- $175,341.34 in attorneys’ fees;
- $49,062.90 in expenses; and
- $224,404.24 total.
The award was compensatory relief connected to efforts to enforce court orders and obtain compliance in the civil litigation. It was not the same legal remedy as criminal restitution. PETA has described the award as being imposed in lieu of a fine, but the criminal judgment should be consulted for the precise financial terms of Haddix’s sentence.
Other legal consequences are separate from the prison sentence
Haddix has faced several different legal proceedings. They should not be collapsed into one case.
1. The federal criminal case
This is the proceeding that produced the 46-month prison sentence. It involved the two perjury counts and one obstruction-of-justice count related to the Tonka deception.
2. The civil PETA litigation
The civil case began in 2016 and concerned the care, possession, and transfer of primates. It produced the 2020 consent decree, the 2021 transfer order, contempt proceedings, and the $224,404.24 attorneys’ fee and expense award.
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3. The USDA licensing action
The U.S. Department of Agriculture separately terminated Haddix’s Animal Welfare Act Class B dealer license, No. 43-B-3839. The USDA also disqualified her from applying for an AWA license for at least two years from the effective date of its order. That was an administrative licensing action, not a criminal conviction.
The USDA decision is available through the agency’s administrative record.
4. State-court contempt and collection proceedings
Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, also faced state-court consequences concerning financial records and discovery orders connected to PETA’s efforts to collect the civil award. Those contempt and collection proceedings are distinct from the federal criminal sentence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is happening with Haddix’s appeal?
Haddix appealed the severity and procedural reasonableness of the sentence in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The case is No. 25-2649.
The appeal challenges the length of the sentence and the way the sentencing court evaluated aggravating circumstances. Reported defense arguments include that:
- the court relied on unsupported aggravating factors;
- the sentence was longer than necessary;
- Haddix was a nonviolent first offender; and
- the court treated her conduct as more serious than comparable crimes.
The appeal is not simply a re-litigation of whether Tonka was alive. Haddix pleaded guilty, and the appellate dispute centers primarily on sentencing.
PETA filed an amicus brief supporting the government and asking the Eighth Circuit to affirm. In that brief, PETA argues that Haddix should not receive leniency based on her claimed love for Tonka. PETA characterizes Tonka’s confinement as negligent or abusive and argues that Haddix’s conduct also reflected hostility toward PETA and financial or publicity interests. Those are PETA’s appellate arguments, not neutral findings that should be presented without attribution.
Status caution: As of August 10, 2026, the latest publicly located substantive appellate filing was PETA’s amicus brief filed April 21, 2026. No publicly indexed appellate decision overturning or reducing the sentence had been located by that date. That does not establish that the appeal has been finally resolved; it means the available record did not show a later disposition.
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Where is Tonka now?
Tonka was found alive in June 2022 and transferred to Save the Chimps in Florida. The Justice Department says he remains at the sanctuary.
PETA has reported that Tonka later reunited with his biological son, Cayleb, and now has access to outdoor space and other chimpanzees. Those details should be understood as PETA’s description of his sanctuary life. The central verified point is that Tonka was not dead or missing: he survived the concealment and was moved from Haddix’s basement to a sanctuary.
Why this story is easy to misunderstand
The case combines a civil animal-welfare dispute, a criminal prosecution, an agency licensing decision, state contempt proceedings, and a later appeal. That combination creates several common errors:
- “She went to prison for animal cruelty.” The criminal charges were perjury and obstruction. Animal-care evidence explains the underlying conflict and sentencing context.
- “She was convicted by a jury.” Haddix pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025.
- “The second chimp was the crime she pleaded to.” The second chimp was a later bond and court-order issue relevant to detention and sentencing; the plea concerned Tonka-related conduct.
- “The civil award was restitution.” The documented $224,404.24 award was attorneys’ fees and expenses in the civil case. Its relationship to any criminal financial obligation should be described cautiously.
- “Tonka was rescued on one universally agreed date.” Public records differ between June 5, June 6, and June 8, 2022. “In June 2022” avoids treating a source discrepancy as a settled fact.
- “The 46 months came out of nowhere.” The sentence followed several recommendations and a significant post-plea development involving another concealed chimpanzee and alleged bond violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Tonia Haddix sentenced for abusing Tonka?
No. Haddix pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The underlying animal-welfare dispute and Tonka’s confinement were important context, but the federal criminal sentence was imposed for lying under oath and obstructing the court process.
Is Tonka alive?
Yes. Tonka was found alive in a basement cage in June 2022 and transferred to Save the Chimps in Florida. The Justice Department says he remains at the sanctuary.
Why was Haddix’s sentence longer than the original plea range?
The original plea arrangement reportedly contemplated 10 to 16 months, while later reports described a 24-to-30-month guideline calculation and a defense request for one year and one day. Pre-sentence officers reportedly sought at least 51 months. The judge imposed 46 months after considering the repeated lies, delay to the civil case, and alleged post-plea bond violations involving another chimpanzee.
Has Tonia Haddix’s appeal succeeded?
No public appellate decision overturning or reducing the sentence had been located as of August 10, 2026. Haddix’s Eighth Circuit appeal, No. 25-2649, challenges the severity and reasonableness of the sentence. PETA filed an amicus brief urging affirmance.
The Bottom Line
Tonia Haddix received 46 months in federal prison because she pleaded guilty to repeatedly lying under oath about Tonka’s death and obstructing the federal court case that sought the chimpanzees’ transfer. Tonka was found alive in June 2022 and is now at a sanctuary. Haddix’s separate civil, USDA, and state-court consequences—and her appeal—should be kept distinct from the criminal conviction itself.
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