East Texas woman pleads guilty to federal wire fraud in unlicensed dog breeding operation

An East Texas woman pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud for running an unlicensed German Shepherd breeding business that made false representations and had dogs in unhealthy conditions. 

Kristine Michelle Hicks, 51, of Hopkins County, entered a guilty plea to four counts of wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Love on July 1, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Officials say she is facing up to 20 years in federal prison.   

Court information says she was the sole owner and operator of an unlicensed dog breeding business called Giant German Shepherds in Hopkins County. Around the end of her operation in December 2025, Hicks had as many as 131 German shepherds on her property. 

According to the news release, she made false representations and promises about the dogs at her property. She claimed the dogs were healthy, trained for specific services, they had certain specified parentage and were registered with the American Kennel Club.

But in reality, she sometimes sold dogs that were a mix of breeds, randomly sourced from other litters, and the dogs had diseases or were in an unhealthy state. Investigators found her property was contaminated with an intestinal parasite. 

She also made false AKC documentation and inflated sales prices for the dogs — sometimes thousands of dollars above the dogs’ real market value.  

“The depraved indifference to animal suffering we witnessed in this case was shocking,” United States Attorney Jay R. Combs said. “My office will continue to advocate for the victims who were defrauded by the defendant as well as the animals who suffered, and often died, in cruel conditions. The concerned citizens who brought this to light are to be commended along with the amazing animal rescue organizations who worked so hard to assist in caring for the animals, most especially Big Dog Ranch Rescue.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General John Walk said the FBI, APHIS Animal Care, SPCA of Texas, Tulsa SPCA, and Big Dog Ranch Rescue helped in conducting the investigation and housing the rescued animals.