TAMPA, Fla. — One local former animal charity CEO will serve 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to 10 new felony fraud charges.
Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said Albert Adams, 50, "preyed on the huge hearts of dog lovers" through fraud and donations schemes while serving as CEO of “Soaring Paws."
In 2018, Adams was convicted of using donations that were intended to help fly abused animals to new homes to instead pay for his own personal expenses, according to the release.
This new scam, the state attorney's office says, comes from pet insurance fraud. Adams filed phony claims for nearly $13,000 worth of medical procedures for his dog that were never performed, according to prosecutors.
The state attorney's office says Adams was on probation for his 2018 crimes when he committed the new fraud scam.
Before heading to prison, Adams will be taken to the Lee County Jail to serve time for a pending case where he is accused of selling a woman a nonexistent dog for $575.
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