The woman who once cared for seven chimpanzees at the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation, 12338 Hwy. CC, south of Festus may soon face new federal charges.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Judge Catherine Perry on Nov. 22 ordered the U.S. District Attorney’s Office to make a charging decision against Tonia Haddix, who was the focus of the HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy.”
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed a motion in October claiming Haddix violated court orders and committed perjury based on evidence from “Chimp Crazy.”
Whether Haddix will be charged depends on the U.S. Attorney’s response to the court order. If the request is accepted, prosecution will follow. If not, the court may have an option to appoint another attorney to pursue a criminal contempt charge.
The court order requires the U.S. Attorney to accept or decline the request to prosecute Haddix for criminal contempt by Dec. 16. The U.S. Department of Justice defines criminal contempt of court as “an act of disobedience or disrespect towards the judicial branch of the government, or an interference with its orderly process.”
A decision had not been made as of today, Nov. 25.
“Tonia Haddix has violated numerous orders of this Court and seeks to make a mockery of the rule of law by admitting and boasting on television, on the internet, and on other means of public communications, about her violations of the Court’s orders; she continues to publicize her acts of contempt; and she seeks to profit from her acts of contempt,” Perry wrote in her court order.
Haddix’s attorney, Justin Gelfand, said he is “continuing to evaluate” the court order.
“We have immense respect for the Court, but the decision to prosecute has always been a power of the executive branch, not the judiciary – and the executive branch decided not to prosecute this as a criminal case several years ago,” Gelfand said. “However, we have been informed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has recently reopened this investigation based on a request by the Court.”
Haddix was the last owner of seven chimps – Tonka, Crystal, Mikayla, Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry – who lived at the facility formerly known as Chimparty, which provided chimps for parties, television ads and movies. The chimps previously belonged to Connie Casey, who transferred ownership of the animals to Haddix in an attempt to end a lawsuit PETA filed against her in 2016.
PETA alleges that “Chimp Crazy” implicates Casey, Haddix’s husband, Jerry Aswegan and Cy Viestra, formerly the operator of a roadside zoo in Ohio, as Haddix’s accomplices. Viestra was convicted of stealing money from the township where he worked to help fund his facility, according to the court filing.
After years of legal battles, the case seemed to be concluded July 2021 when Perry ordered Haddix to give up ownership of the seven chimps and allow PETA to transfer them to the Center of Great Apes in Wauchula, Fla. The order came after the judge ruled Haddix had not followed a consent decree she had reached with PETA, which would have allowed her to retain ownership and care for Crystal, Mikayla and Tonka.
Crystal, Mikayla, Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry were transferred from the Festus-area facility to the Florida sanctuary on July 28, 2021. Tonka also was supposed to be transferred that day, but Haddix said Tonka died May 24, 2021, after suffering a stroke or heart attack. Haddix was ordered by the court to show proof of Tonka’s death, but the proof she provided was not acceptable, PETA said in a court filing.
Tonka, who is best known for his role in the 1997 film “Buddy” with Alan Cumming, was discovered to be alive and living with Haddix in June 2022. The chimp was then transported to the Florida sanctuary.
Haddix has twice been held in civil contempt, but she has not paid any of the court ordered fines. She also was ordered in March 2023 to pay $224,404.24 in attorney fees to PETA, according to court documents.
“The wheels of justice are turning for entitled Tonia Haddix, who has shown time and time again that she believes the justice system will simply indulge her as she defies court orders in her warped quest to exploit chimpanzees,” PETA attorney Brittany Peet said in a statement. “This is a woman who either can’t or won’t abide by the law, and PETA thanks the court for making moves to hold her accountable with these much-deserved federal charges.”
Click to read past Leader coverage on the events that led to "Chimp Crazy."