A Tempe man with prior felony convictions has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of illegal firearms possession and animal cruelty, authorities said. Eric Thomas Scionti, 36, received a 47-month sentence on Tuesday, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona. Federal agents confiscated an array of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the defendant in a January 2023 raid.
On October 3, 2024, Scionti entered a guilty plea for two separate cases involving illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person, and the act of animal crushing. The search warrant executed at Scionti's residence on January 18, 2023, resulted in the seizure of six firearms and 1,826 rounds of ammunition. Scionti was already barred from possessing firearms due to his status as a felon, having been convicted of multiple felonies in Arizona state courts previously.
The distressing side of the investigation unveiled that Scionti had been involved in the brutal torture and mutilation of animals. Agents, authorized to search data tied to Scionti's email account on September 29, 2023, discovered a trove of images and videos showing him abusing live pigeons. The cache contained approximately 168 videos and 89 digital photographs documenting Scionti's engagement in the acts of animal cruelty.
These cases, carrying the case numbers CR-23-00600-PHX-JJT and CR-24-00890-PHX-JJT, were brought to light by the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Officials involved in the prosecutions come from the United States Attorney’s Office in Phoenix.
