- NAWA files complaints against GFAS facility InSync Exotics.

§ 2.12 -  Termination of a license.

A license may be terminated during the license renewal process or at any other time for any reason that an initial license application may be denied pursuant to § 2.11 after a hearing in accordance with the applicable rules of practice.

(6) Has made any false or fraudulent statements or provided any false or fraudulent records to the Department or other government agencies, or has pled nolo contendere (no contest) or has been found to have violated any Federal, State, or local laws or regulations pertaining to the transportation, ownership, neglect, or welfare of animals, or is otherwise unfit to be licensed and the Administrator determines that the issuance of a license would be contrary to the purposes of the Act.

Accordingly, Collin County law enforcement charged Keahey with 16 violations under Section 822.103, Possession/Custody of a Dangerous Animal Without a Certificate of Registration.

         

This scenario is the identical procedure that the USDA took against Amarillo Wildlife Refuge (Amarillo) after a board member was found guilty of a misdemeanor animal charge related to illegal transportation.

In 2007 the USDA took action to terminate “Amarillo’s” license after the then-president Charles Azzopardi plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge pertaining to the illegal transpiration of a regulated animal (USDA Docket 07-0077).

Azzopardi was one of many that help controled the Texas non-profit Amarillo Wildlife Refuge (same as Keahey and InSync)

Azzopardi was convicted of a misdemeanor crime related to the illegal transportation of a regulated animal.  Keahey has also been convicted of a misdemeanor crime pertaining to the unlawful possession of a regulated animal.

As cited above, the USDA regulation is very clear that a “license may be terminated....for any violation of Federal, State, or local laws or regulations pertaining to the transportation, ownership, neglect, or welfare of animals”.

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INSYNC's VIOLATION OF THE

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

When Keahey ran afoul with law enforcement over her pet cougars, and without delay, she ran out and incorporated a company and applied for her USDA license. Under the Texas Organization and Business Code, Sec. 2.005.  “Limitation in Governing Documents”,  The governing documents of a domestic entity may contain limitations on the entity's purposes.

This is exactly what Keahey did. It the Articles of Incorporation for InSync, Keahey made it’s purpose for “specific reasons”:

ARTICLE 4 - PURPOSES

The purposes for which the corporation is organized are the following:

(a) To engage in the rescue and care of animals, exotic and domestic, which have

been abandoned, mistreated, injured or abused and whose quality of life

under these conditions is below acceptable standards and the animals lives are

endangered and/or at risk.

By it’s own Articles, InSync is not permitted to “purchase” ,  “rehome” or "board" other owners such animals, and in doing so would be operating outside it’s non-profit Texas charter.

In only using the word “or” once in it’s articles, three thresholds must be met simultaneously:

- engage in the rescue and care of animals, exotic and domestic, which have

been abandoned, mistreated, injured or abused

AND;

- whose quality of life under these conditions is below acceptable standards

AND;

- and the animals lives are endangered and/or at risk.

During some of our research, we found this not to be the case for all of InSync’s actions. Just one example we noticed is when Keahey was having an email conversation with the REXANO, (Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership) group where Keahey talks about buying animals to start InSync:

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KEAHEY's PET COUGAR ATTACK

"From hidding from law enforcement to InSync's start up"

Animal control officers tried to impound Marshall’s second pet cougar, “Tahoe”, as a precaution, since “Tahoe” and “Ranger Roger” had nose-to-nose contact, and by law, should have been quarantined for rabies as well. To prevent “Tahoe” being quarantined, Marshall took her pet cougar to her friends’ USDA licensed exotic animal facility in Leona, TX.

At the time, Collin County authorities allowed residents to keep exotic pets only if they had a Federal USDA permit. Vicky Marshall (Keahey) supposedly didn’t have the required permit and was, therefore in violation of County law. Marshall was given a misdemeanor citation for this violation and convicted.  

When Marshall eventually secured her USDA exhibitor permit so as to keep her pets legally, she was not only reunited with her pet cougars, but she also started buying pet tiger cubs as well. Marshall’s first white tiger was “Kiro”, bought in September 1999, from the same friend in Leona, TX, that cared for her cougar during Marshall’s time of need, as she sought the required USDA license. Back then, the going purchase rate for white tigers was around $10,000. So with just two pet cougars and at least one pet tiger cub, this is how Keahey's alter ego non-profit ‘In-Sync Exotic Wildlife Rescue and Education Center’ was born. It was around this time Vicky Marshall got married and became Vicky Keahey.

(article reads)

Owner cited after cougar bites boy Exotic feline moved to Grapevine animal facility

BY DOMINGO RAMIREZ  Star-Telegram Staff Writer GRAPEVINE —

A Collin County -"woman has been issued a citation for not having a permit for a cougar that bit a 4- -year-old boy late Saturday near Wylie authorities said yesterday. The woman Vicky Marshall lost her cougar Ranger after it was seized Sunday by animal control officials Authorities said they plan to seize another cougar today.

Meanwhile the boy Uriel Neri was listed in good condition yesterday at Children's Medical Center in Dallas a hospital spokeswoman said The cougar bit the boy on his ankle at Marshall's house which is about two miles northeast ''of Wylie in Coffin County.  Uriel a neighbor of Marshall's was 4 bitten after he followed his father into a 'cage where Ranger was housed authorities said Marshall was showing the cougars to her friends at the time of the I accident authorities said "The cougar bit the child then just backed up" said Robert Cartwright an investigator with the Dallas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"Then the child either jumped back out or someone grabbed him and pulled him out of the cage" Cartwright said Marshall could not be reached to comment yesterday Cartwright said he had not investigated previous problems at the residence where the two cougars were being kept Marshall told investigators that she had owned one of the cougars for at least seven years authorities said Exotic feline owners in Collin County are required to have a permit Marshall did not have a permit and she was issued a citation a Class C misdemeanor that carries a firm officials said.

The amount of a fine is determined by judges officials said Ranger a declawed beige 4-year-old male was first held at a McKinney facility and transferred Sunday to the Grapevine Animal Control Center "McKinney does not have a facility to keep such an animal for any length of time" said Jennifer Casey a spokeswoman with the Dallas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "That's why we transferred him to Grapevine" Casey said Ranger is scheduled to be quarantined for 30 days officials said.

By that time the cougar may be given back to his owner transferred to a facility for exotic animals or euthanized officials said "We can't stress enough that these type of animals should not be kept as pets" said Warren Cox executive director of the Dallas society.

Cox said Texas and California lead the nation in the number of people owning exotic animals Last year six people were bitten or mauled by exotic animals in Texas Cox said.

Ed Rose director of the McKinney-based North Branch of the Dallas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said his group is not finished with its investigation. The investigation may be turned over to the Collin County Sheriff's Department he said "We're still trying to get all the pieces together" Rose said "It's possible that charges could be filed such as animal cruelty or child endangerment but we don't know right now" This article contains information from The Associated Press Domingo Ramirez Jr (817) 685-3822

(article reads)

FW Star May 6, 98

Cougar owner missing when officers arrive at woman's home to seize cat

A Wylie woman and her female cougar named Tahoe were nowhere to be found yesterday when animal control officials showed up to seize the animal from the woman who had already been cited for not having a permit for another cougar that bit a 4-year-old Saturday.  Officials say it's imperative that they seize the second cougar from Vicky Marshall as soon as possible because they've learned Tahoe may have had mouth-to-mouth contact with Ranger the animal that bit the child on Saturday said Jennifer Casey spokeswoman for the Dallas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Ranger is under a 30-day quarantine at the Grapevine Animal Control Shelter to determine if he has rabies. "We don't know where she is or where the cougar is" said Casey who was among the SPCA officials who waited four hours for Marshall to show up. "If Ranger is carrying rabies Tahoe is too It's imperative we find and quarantine Tahoe.

"We don't know where she is or where the cougar is" —Jennifer Casey Dallas SPCA spokeswoman could be spreading rabies to other animals so if it is involved in another bite it could be bad" Ed Rose director of the McKinney-based North Branch of the Dallas SPCA said.  Marshall could face criminal charges for hiding the animal if she does not turn the second cougar over to authorities Casey said. Rose and Collin County sheriff's deputies were conferring last night about whether to file other charges or issue a warrant for Marshall's arrest Ranger was seized by authorities Sunday after it bit 4-year-old Uriel Neri on the ankle during a party Saturday night. The boy was not seriously hurt.

Rose said SPCA officials obtained a seizure warrant from a Collin County Justice of the Peace. They had also contacted Marshall's boss at Pet Smart to make sure Marshall would be allowed time off to turn over the animal "She had every idea that we were coming" Casey said But when SPCA officials arrived about I pm yesterday afternoon the cougar was not in its outdoor pen and Marshall did not show up. The seizure warrant did not allow authorities to search Marshall's house Rose said It was later determined that the cougar was not in the house Casey said Rose said. Marshall violated Collin County's wild animal ordinance which says no person can keep a wild animal in the unincorporated areas of Collin County unless licensed by the US Department of Agriculture. Marshall doesn't have a federal license he said. Violating the Collin County ordinance is a Class C misdemeanor Last year six people were bitten or mauled by exotic animals in Texas.

The Wylie News (Wylie, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 17, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 22, 1999

Marshall seeks to enlarge facility for forsaken felines

Vicky Marshall plays with a white tiger cub, Kiro. Marshall is trying to expand her Wylie facility for exotic animals. - By Donnita Nesbit Fisher

A little more than u year after the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals removed a cougar from her care. Vicky Marshall has an exhibitor's license for exotic animals and is trying to expand her ability to care for other exotic felines.

The male cougar. Ranger, was taken from Marshall's Skyview Drive residence after it hit a four-year-old. Ranger spent 30 days in quarantine and then he and his cagemate, Tahoe, stayed at a north Texas animal preserve until Marshall acquired her exhibitor's license. Now the two cougars have been joined by an 18-month old tiger. Kenya, and Marshall has opened InSync Exotics, a wildlife rescue and educational center. She is raising money to expand the facility to include Kiro, a three-month-old white tiger she recently rescued from a breeder who plans to sell the tiger. See BIG CATS

Page 3A

Big cats seek larger facility at rescue center

From Page IA

The expanded facility is needed. Marshall said, because she continually receives calls from owners and animal shelters asking her to take additional animals. During the past year, she has received more than 60 such requests, she said many of the animals have been declawed and this makes it impossible for them to ever be placed in a zoo, she said such is the case with Kiro. "Since he's been declawed. he can never be around other tigers because he would have no way of defending himself" Marshall said.

When fully grown Kiro will weigh about 500 pounds and even at three months, his bite can draw blood, she said. Exotic animals make dangerous pets and most people are not equipped to feed and house the animal properly. Marshall said. The big cats need vitamins added to their diet to keep them from getting metabolic bone disease. she said. "They cannot exist on a diet of chicken." She said the proper care for the animals can cost up to $30,000. Currently, Kenya lives in a 1.000 square tool cage that includes a tree and a bathtub Marshall's facility is open by appointment. Call ‘472-822-9821 to schedule a tour.

____________________________________________________________

In-Sync Exotics - GFAS Accredited/Verified

“Vicky Keahey has killed more big cats than a poacher!”

Says past staff members with InSync.

The “In-Sync” facility also seems to have a dearth background that past workers have exposed. So much that the list is so long that these whistle-blowers had started a website to list this history, and also citing the death of dozens of big cats at In-Sync, http://insyncexoticskillers.com

The site list in detail over 48 big cat deaths ranging from:

- failure to properly vaccinate,

- drug overdoses,

- anemia caused by flea infestation,

- poisoned, ingesting foreign objects (a shoe),

- salmonella poisoning due to improper food handling procedures,

- infections allowed to get out of control.

- and more

In-Sync caught transporting adult tiger on Texas back road to a veterinarian.

____________________________________________________________

Information obtained from past staff members at InSync via the website www.insyncexoticskillers.com paint a very dark picture of Keahey and her actual intent:

Generic Stupidity

Here are some things that further prove her incompetence.

Here is Vicky's president report from 4/2012. A cat received the wrong medication. It says "A lot of mistakes in giving Keenans meds to cerella and crimson". What an enormous failure to organize.

Here is an instance where cats hurt other cats. Cats at InSync Exotics have died from injuries sustained from fights. Does that sound like something that should happen at a sanctuary or Michael Vick's house? The most telling paragraph reads "One fight resulted in Sultan getting bit on his right back ankle making it so that he didn't walk around much for about 24 hours. The last fight Kaiya got a really bad rip in the skin from Sultan on her left shoulder and left chest area. The one on her chest is open about the size of a .50 cent piece. Kaiya gave Sultan something to think about when she bit him on his you know where and ripped hair from that area. We are now keeping them separated any time Tyjar or the babies go into the P/G. This has kept things more quiet for everyone.". Cody died from a fight. Dakota died from a fight. Vicky Keahey keeps letting it happen. Cats will fight several times a day. Volunteers drop everything and run to "break it up". As if they could do something if a cat were intent on hurting another. Vicky Keahey permits cat fighting knowing they are going to get hurt or killed. Where's the sense in this?

Look at this poor cat gashed open. This is Vicky Keahey's idea of "sanctuary"? If she showed you this picture and said it happened somewhere else, wouldn't you say that person shouldn't be allowed to have cats? Of course you would. So why should she have cats?

Here's another example that shows she knows they hurt each other but does not seem to care. It says "Mercedes bit Sassy on the tail. Didn't tear open like lassiter's and Keenan's but had two puncture wounds on it.". "Tear open"; that must be painful and terrifying. Staff whispers about these things all the time, but if we criticise Vicky Keahey we are fired or banned.

Here's yet another example of fighting. This is from Vicky's Jan 2011 presidents report. The bottom of pg 3 says "Freddie was seen hopping around on 3 legs and barley moving. We took him to the vet and did xrays. We didn't find anything broken. What we did find was 3 bite marks that Kami did during a scuffle. The hock was swollen almost twice the regular size". Hopping around on 3 legs and barely moving?? Does that sound like sanctuary?

They bad news just doesn't stop:

Here's Vicky's president report from August 2012. She piles these cats high until this happens. Kaiya has permanent injuries that were avoidable. THIS IS NOT SANCTUARY.

"The brats got into a huge fight on the PG and we have had to separate them and their PG time. Two days after the fight Kaiya developed a twitch in her back where she would twitch the skin on her back then turn around to bite at the air and swish her tail. WE though she may have had something bitting her so we knocked her out and checked her. Dr. Chuck and I couldn’t find any reason for her behavior. Christina found on the internet called rolling skin dieses. We started treating her for this but she is unable to stand the treatment. There is no cure all we can do is try to manage it with Valium. Dr’s. told us to give her 30mg but she was very drunk so we worked down to 10mg and was still drunk. I waited for about 2 weeks then started her back on it starting with 5mg and working up to 15mg. She did better on this for a couple of weeks but then started acting drunk again. I have now had her off of it again for 5 days and will start her back on it today because reports are saying that she is twitching again. She gets so bad sometimes that she can't even sit still long enough to eat. We will continue to play it by ear and give to her when she looks like she needs it. A&M; wants to do an MRI on her."

What she really thinks of others:

Averille is a wealthy woman who donates tens of thousands of dollars every year. Every year she has been one of the top donors. She has been so giving to the cats. She suffered the tragic loss of two brothers. Instead of being compassionate, Vicky Keahey says their deaths are good for her because Averille can give more money to InSync Exotics!!! Listen to the audio here. Can you believe this? Averille donates GENEROUSLY every year and this is what Vicky thinks of her. She speaks of her this way then asks her for money. It's inhuman. It's shameful.

Marvin Howard is the hardest working person at ISE. He donated huge amounts of time and money. The Taj Mahal was funded and almost single handedly constructed by him. He is a great guy who does a lot but Vicky Keahey still speaks poorly of him. Listen to this audio clip. She has said InSync is in his Will and she looks forward to him 'kicking it'. She's a monster.

Financial mismanagement:

ISE has been Vicky Keahey's personal piggy bank for years. She takes large amounts of cash from "Gate fees". It's not traceable. There's no gate counter to compare with. Her son Justin was on the payroll from late 2010 thru April 2014. He was rarely there. When he was there he's usually visiting. It's rumoured that her elderly mother is on the payroll. She's rarely there and when she is she is just visiting. Her niece was hired as an "office assistant". This is just a way to line the family pockets. There are plenty of volunteers more than willing to put down a water hose and do some office work.

Faking IRS Form 990's:

Form 990 is 'Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax'. It is sort of a tax return for non-profits. It shows how donations were spent. Big donors look at these to know how much of their money is going to the cats.

Here is an excel spreadsheet that shows she removed over $70,000 in donations from the 990. Here's the 2010 990 and here's the 2011 990. I know for a fact this practice started long ago and continues today. Look at how she named the files! Why is this a big deal? Because Vicky Keahey is lying to donors. She painted a picture where she has less money than she really does. It's also tax fraud and perjury. Both are criminal offences.

Look at row 160 this spreadsheet. Mary Jane Bowman is Vicky Keahey's mother. It is a $5,000.00 negative donation of which only $630.00 was returned. What's a negative donation? It is tax fraud. It is money was never taxed as ordinary income.

Treasurer puppet:

Here is a document the treasurer wrote. It seems odd the treasurer would write these things in a procedures document, right? It's written because she is trying to protect herself from Vicky's criminal wrongdoing. Here are a few things it says.

"The Treasurer does not individually inspect invoices which have been paid by the President and which have been recorded by her in the period since the Treasurer last saw the QuickBooks file. The treasurer has no information to insure that recorded deposits accurately reflect monies received by In Sync.

The treasurer does not currently verify that the QuickBooks file accurately reflects bank or brokerage statements. These statements are not conveyed to the treasurer."

All reports reflect information in the QB file and are not audited by the treasurer.

Illegally boarding:

Here is one case where Vicky Keahey illegally accepted money to board a privately owned cat. Bill Baker owned Phoenix. He was a sweet cougar. The details are his story to tell not ours. Vicky Keahey says "His expecting us to take care of his cat. He needs to be responsible for his own cat". His own cat sounds like boarding to us.

Here are feeding instructions that are different from every other cat. At the bottom it says "CONTACT BILL AT ANYTIME IF THERE IS A PROBLEM OR FOR ENRICHMENT ITEM APPROVAL AT XXX-XXX-XXXX.". It doesn't say "Contact Vicky" because Phoenix was being boarded.

Still not convinced? How about not one, but two veterinary invoices for Phoenix in HIS name. Boarding exotic cats for private owners is illegal.

Salary:

Vicky Keahey says she did not take a salary for years. When she is stealing tax free money why would she take a salary and pay those pesky income taxes. The salary story is only part true. She has created a "golden parachute". This document lets her and her husband take a retroactive salary. That is how she will cash out at the cats' expense. It says "Motion made on Vicky Keahey's salary at $43,000 a year retroactive to 4/1/03 was made by Lousanne Yandell. Tandy Robinson seconded. Vote was unanimous. Motion made to pay Eddie Keahey $17 an hour for his services retroactive to 4/1/03".

Here is where Vicky boarded her horse with sanctuary money.

____________________________________________________________

National Geographic has also exposed some of these disturbing patterns in recent stories:

See How Some U.S. Ape Sanctuaries Fail Their Animals and Staff, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/02/wildlife-watch-apes-sanctuary-failing-animals/

A "GFAS" facility.

“Sanctuary for retired lab chimps embroiled in a dispute over the quality of its care”

More than 20 former staffers and volunteers say Project Chimps is plagued by problems.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/project-chimps-sanctuary-dispute-chimpanzee-welfare/

A "GFAS" facility.

"The Florida sanctuary was cited for 12 Animal Welfare Act violations over the past 5 years. 3 were critical violations for medical care."

https://www.tcpalm.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/03/11/ save-the-chimps-usda-animal-welfare-act-critical-violations-tiffany-tuffy/4455690002/

A "GFAS" facility.

GFAS - Just about the money?

Kellie Heckman, Executive Director of GFAS was caught on tape admitting:

“that most of us get into the animal welfare business,

for one reason, we love the money"

Unfortunately, we were also saddened to learn that this seems to be the norm within the GFAS community. During our continuing detailed look into GFAS and their very deceptive operation scheme is what lead us to InSync Exotic.

As we uncovered more and more reports and information related to them we certainly felt the need to notify those authorities as to some of our discoveries, in addition to passing this along to our members and supporters. The research on InSync has just scratched the surface and we will update you with more to come.

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