-Dr. Elizabeth Jane Goldentyer abruptly retires under very dark circumstances, APHIS/USDA
Published by -NAWA News Feed- in -USDA Updates- · Wednesday 02 Aug 2023
Tags: USDA, APHIS, Goldentyer, Envigo
Tags: USDA, APHIS, Goldentyer, Envigo
In a release on July 18, 2023 Dr. Mike Watson, Acting APHIS Administrator , said “we felt the timing was right to take a fresh, objective look at our Animal Care program”. Goldentyer who was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury last year as part of a criminal probe into animal researcher breeder Envigo's abuse of beagles is retiring, according to an internal email seen by news sources.
Dr. Betty Goldentyer, a deputy administrator of the animal care program within the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced her plans to step down at the end of this April in an email to USDA staff. On March 9 a federal grand jury ordered both Goldentyer and Dr. Robert Gibbens, another top animal care official, to testify last year in the Western District of Virginia.
Federal prosecutors questioned them about their management of the Envigo inspections and why they did not act against the company despite repeatedly documenting the mistreatment of thousands of beagles, and on the other hard were very active against other dealers and exhibitors.
APHIS is the regulatory agency responsible for ensuring compliance with federal animal welfare laws at animal facilities across the U.S. from zoos to research facilities.
Goldentyer, who has been with the USDA's animal care program since 1988 and served as its deputy administrator since December 2019, did not provide a reason for her decision in the email.
An APHIS spokesperson did not have an immediate comment on the retirement, and Goldentyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
APHIS, Goldentyer and Gibbens also previously declined to comment on the grand jury testimony in the Envigo case, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.
"There is plenty of time to finish up those last few projects - and for goodbyes," Goldentyer wrote in an email seen by Reuters:
"I don't know what retirement will look like for me but it's exciting... Have a good week and wish me luck." - Dr. Betty Goldentyer, email to staff.
It is obvious by Goldentyer’s email this retirement was not planned by her.
Envigo, a major U.S. animal research breeder, shuttered its Cumberland, Virginia, facility last year after the Justice Department searched it in May 2022 and seized 446 dogs in "acute distress."
The company later settled civil charges alleging it had shown a “disregard” for the dogs’ welfare, and it agreed to forfeit more than 4,000 beagles that remained onsite.
The Justice Department's parallel criminal and civil investigations into Envigo came after APHIS inspectors documented more than 60 violations of animal welfare laws at Envigo between July 2021 and March 2022.
Although APHIS has the authority to confiscate animals, revoke or suspend licenses, and pursue fines through negotiated settlements or administrative proceedings, it never acted against the company.
Reuters reviewed more than 800 pages of internal APHIS records related to the Envigo inspections that were obtained through a public records request by the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The records showed there was a sharp divide between top APHIS officials and inspectors over how to handle the litany of problems that successive inspections found at the Envigo facility.
Goldentyers dark past actions:
To better understand Dr. Elizabeth Jane Goldentyer, (Betty) one should acquaint themselves with a little of her past. Now at 63 years old, Dr. Goldentyer was promoted to Deputy Director of Animal Care within USDA/APHIS, in July 2017. The USDA quietly promoted her in July 2017 but did not make it publically known until September 25, 2017.
Dr. Goldentyer was the second in command just under Bernadette Juarez who was the Director of Animal Care until this summer (2019) when she was transferred out of Animal Care, thus leaving Dr. Goldentyer as “acting’ Director of Animal Care.
The USDA seems to like hiring these so called “veterinarians” right out of school, with no real practical experience in animal medicine. Since graduating from Tufts University, (Medford , MA) and first becoming a veterinarian in 1983, we were unable to locate any solid practical medical practice experience for Goldentyer. However her and Juarez were, and believed to still be heavily involved in the humane society.
This was no real surprise, since Goldentyer talked in detail during an interview, “People & Perspectives: Betty Goldentyer - Designing Research with Animal Use in Mind”, January 13, 2015 and about her work inside the humane society and how it got her prepared for her work inside USDA/APHIS. After all, those such as the Humane Society of the United States have clear, written goals on how they want to eliminate all zoo’s in the world. Even more troubling was the long clear mission-creep that USDA/APHIS are deploying, as we further found in reading a very good article “HAS THE HSUS “HIJACKED” THE APHIS OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT?!”
But what really shocked us was how Federal Judges have caught Dr. Goldentyer in her own web of lies, set-up’s, pre-targeting inspection reports on licensees, and a whole slew of other shenanigans. Recently obtained court documents showed the following:
This case, (Caudill, Kalmanson, et. al, Docket 10-0416, Decision and Order as to Mitchell Kalmanson) with devastating findings against APHIS from their own Chief Administrative Law Judge, Peter M. Davenport found the following:
-“APHIS [directed by Dr. Goldentyer] was conducting biased investigations initiated and conducted with the obvious intent according to a predetermined conclusion.” [page 4]
-“Regional Director [ Dr. Goldentyer] refused to take licensees telephone calls for assistance and feel under no obligation to assist licensees by providing guidance”. [page 7]
-“Investigations directed [ by Dr. Goldentyer] against licensees are inappropriately influenced an unacceptably biased from their onsets as APHIS personnel involved in preparing a special orders by other directors/supervisors and her staff include language and reports of alleged violations that were not present. All in an effort to produce pre-concluded results from such inspections.” [page 7]
-“The Regional Director [ Dr. Goldentyer at that time] erroneously improper conduct produced such a thoroughly flawed investigation that such scant reliance should never be placed on such an inspection or investigation.” [page 8]
-“Inspectors instructed [ by Dr. Goldentyer] to mark inspections as “routine” inspections of licensees. Despite the benign and innocuous characterization given to the inspection, it is clear from such testimony in this case concerning the elaborate preparation for it, that it was anything but routine.” [page 8]
-“[Dr. Goldentyer], APHIS accused of conducting inspections on the licensee that were actions it intended devastatingly destructive damage to the licensee.” [page 10]
-“ a [sic] licensee was subject to an improperly conducted investigations by individuals [from APHIS by Dr. Goldentyer] misusing the authority vested in them, the result of which was professional embarrassment and significant financial loss.” [page 12]
-Chief Administrative Law Review Judge confirms “that animal welfare act considers a license, once granted, contained no restrictive endorsements or limitations as to what animals may be exhibited on the face of its license.” [page 12] Dr. Goldentyer instructed her inspectors routinely to tell licensees that obtain other animals that they are not licensed for such animals, which no such regulations exist.
-“APHIS continuously scrutinizes through unfair practices the determination of a licensees’ asked variance when concerning large carnivores, elephants, marine mammals, etc. as far as the experience level of a licensee APHIS is unable to provide any testimony concerning the extent of the evaluation process, it is unclear whether the additional documentation of a licensees background was actually examined or simply ignored. It is clear that none of the references were contacted.” [page 15] Note: This seems to be the exact same practice that the IRS used in the current denials of certain non-profit’s status request.
-“The abuse of authority in directing that on substantiated language placed in inspection reports and questionable review of licensees qualifications to handle felids was the proximate cause of the licensee experiencing the loss of control of animals she had purchased and the revenue generated by their exhibition. “ [page 16]
-Subsequently the Chief Administrative Law Review Judge in this case finds that the licensee in fact does have the experience to handling care for such animals and continuously notes APHIS inability to prove otherwise or to explain the procedure on how such experience is validated confirmed or otherwise. [page 16]
We will keep monitoring the developments as this unfolds.
