LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Originally charged with multiple felonies, Kathy Jung cut a deal with the Attorney General's Office that allowed her to plead to a single misdemeanor— which is far less than animal advocates and former NSPCA workers were hoping for.
Chelsea Collins said the following back in March 2021 when Jung was charged with three felonies:
"...We'd all like to see her serve jail time for this! She's done a terrible injustice to those animals there. We're so happy that they're under such better care now with the new board and the new management but justice still needs to be served where Kathy Jung is involved."
Collins and other former insiders helped blow the whistle on what was going on behind the scenes at the shelter when it was on Dewey Drive near Decatur and Russel.
13 Investigates broke the story of mistreated animals and misappropriated money in November 2018. Our multi-year investigation saw Jung and the entire board of directors get replaced.
TIMELINE: Channel 13 investigations led to major shakeup, criminal charges for former top dog at NSPCA
COLLINS: "There were some questions and suspicions about if all this money was being donated, why was the shelter not being kept up better? Why were the animals not being treated better?"
In 2021, the Nevada attorney general charged Jung with three felonies but that case was eventually dropped. The A.G. then filed two new felony charges in February of this year.
Count no. 1
- Selling a Ford Explorer belonging to the NSPCA and keeping the proceeds for herself.
Count no. 2
- This, later dropped as part of the plea deal, was for using an NSPCA debit card at car dealership Desert 215 Superstore for her own personal use.
"Ms. Jung is going to enter a plea of misdemeanor petty larceny...She will pay $3,000 in restitution and she's going to complete 25 hours of community service," said Jason Margolis, deputy attorney general.
The plea was to a misdemeanor charge, but amount of restitution falls under the description of a felony crime.
When I asked about why Jung was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor when the restitution amount was for a felony, Nevada Attorney General Communications Director John Sadler responded:
"The initial monetary loss determines the charge (which was a felony), but the charge can change during/as a result of negotiations. Our goals were to ensure Jung would make whole the amount that was stolen and that she would face consequences for her crimes. Both of these outcomes were met as part of the plea deal negotiations."
The $3,000 will go to the NSPCA, which has been under new leadership in a new facility for several years.
JUDGE: Ms. Jung, do you wish to accept these negotiations?
KJ: Yes.
JUDGE: Do you have any questions?
KJ: No.
JUDGE: How do you plead to the amended charge of petty larceny, a misdemeanor?
KJ: No contest.
No contest is an alternative to pleading guilty. It means Jung gives up her right to a trial, and though she does not admit committing any crime, she does admit that there would probably be enough evidence to prove her guilty if there were a trial.
The judge formally found Jung guilty, and her lawyer told the court she'd pay the restitution in full and complete her community service within two weeks. As we exposed in our initial investigation, Jung is already a convicted criminal from a past felony theft case in 2004 involving embezzlement from a car dealer where she worked as controller.
