PHILADELPHIA – Members of the U.S. Marshals Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force transported from Belize a woman wanted on charges of animal cruelty in Bucks County and turned her over to the Newtown Township Police Department around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Abigail Tuttle O’Keeffe was charged in January with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty in what the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals described as the largest case of farm animal cruelty in county history. O’Keeffe fled the country shortly after charges were brought against her.

On April 25, O’Keefe was arrested for possession of a firearm in Benque Viejo, Belize. The U.S. State Department notified the U.S. Marshals Service O’Keeffe was in custody and inquired if they would be willing to return her to the United States.

The U.S. Marshals Service coordinated the deportation process with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and on Sept. 18 O’Keefe’s criminal case in Belize was settled. O’Keeffe was then turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service and escorted from Belmopan, Belize, to Philadelphia.

This investigation included the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia, U.S. Marshals Office of International Operations, U.S. Department of State, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, INTERPOL Washington, and law enforcement in Belize.

“While the U.S. Marshals Service remains steadfast in its mission to capture violent fugitives, after learning of the heinous animal cruelty allegations against Ms. O’Keefe, we were pleased to assist the Bucks County D.A.’s Office in facilitating her extradition from Belize,” said Eric Gartner, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

“This was an exceptional case in terms of the number of animals, severity of their suffering, and the interagency cooperation required to bring Ms. O’Keeffe back to the United States to face charges and gain justice for the animals,” said Nikki Thompson, Chief Humane Society Police Officer at Bucks County SPCA.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force is a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Marshals in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest violent crime fugitives. Member agencies include the Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Attorney General Agents, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Chester Police Department, Bucks County Sheriffs, and Delaware County Sheriffs. 

More information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

Media Contact: Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark, Eastern District of Pennsylvania 215.783.4548