Tempe man sentenced to 47 months in prison for abusing pigeons, possessing firearms

PHOENIX — A prolific animal abuser from Tempe who was found with multiple firearms in his home has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison, authorities said.

Eric Thomas Scionti, 36, was sentenced on Tuesday to 47 months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Scionti pleaded guilty to possessing firearms and ammunition, as well as animal crushing, on Oct. 3, 2024, prosecutors said.

Prolific animal abuser was already a convicted felon

His guilty pleas related to two separate cases that date to 2023.

The first took place on Jan. 18, 2023, when federal agents executed a search warrant to investigate his Tempe residence. Authorities seized six firearms and 1,826 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said.

It was against the law for Scionti to have weaponry due to his status as a convicted felon.

Authorities found dozens of videos of pigeon abuse in home of Tempe man

The second case he pleaded guilty for dated to Sept. 29, 2023. On that day, federal agents were authorized to search through records associated with his email address.

During this search, they found 158 videos and 89 images depicting Scionti torturing and mutilating live pigeons, prosecutors said.

The office released news of his sentencing a day after the Arizona Humane Society’s director of field operations said animal cruelty is on the rise in Arizona.

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