Anthony Pastor. Photo courtesy of the New York Post.
Summary: Attorney Anthony Pastor has been disbarred.
Pastor, a corporate lawyer, was found guilty of beating a dog to death, and on Thursday, it was announced that he has been disbarred in New York, according to The New York Post.
Anthony Pastor, 46, was convicted of felony aggravated cruelty to animals on May 9 of this year. The attorney was accused of murdering his girlfriend’s 4-year-old dog Snoopy by repeatedly hitting the small pooch. The dog died in August of 2016 and had head injuries and broken ribs.
At the time of Pastor’s sentencing, Judge Robert Mandelbaum said that Pastor had shown “incomprehensible violence” and that the dog had shown “excruciating pain” before it had finally passed.
Judge Mandelbaum said that Pastor then further showed his cold heart by sitting at his computer and working after beating the dog, which lay dying next to him. Prosecutors said that Pastor was angered to strike after his then girlfriend’s poodle peed on his floor.
Pastor is currently serving a two-year sentence in jail. His license was revoked after the Attorney Grievance Committee filed a motion to disbar Pastor because of his felony conviction.
During Pastor’s trial, his attorney Gerald Lefcourt argued that Pastor was the way he was because he was bullied as the only Jewish person at his boarding school. He asked the court for leniency and said that Pastor was trying to be a good father.
“I ask the court for leniency. It’s a crucial time in his life, he has the opportunity to restore his relationship with his son,” said Lefcourt.
Judge Mandelbaum did not offer leniency and instead gave Pastor the full punishment allowed for the crime–two years in jail. During the trial, prosecutors had also interviewed Pastor’s ex-fiance, who said her dog had been killed in a similar manner. No charges were pressed then even though a witness claimed to have seen the attorney beat the animal outside.
“He has demonstrated a side of himself to those with whom he is close that conceals from them another extremely dangerous side, which he clearly possesses,” Judge Mandelbaum said at the sentencing.
After his conviction, Pastor was given a protective order because he had received so many death threats. He is also now listed on an animal abuser registry.
One jurist told The New York Post that she felt sorry for Pastor’s child but she also felt bad about what happened to his girlfriend’s dog.
“I feel terrible for Mr. Pastor’s son, but I also feel terrible for Snoopy, and I feel terrible for Miss Russell’s children who loved her and lost her,” the jurist said.