ST. LOUIS – The infamous Missouri chimpanzee owner, Tonia Haddix, was sentenced to 46 months behind bars Thursday afternoon.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty in March to two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from lying under oath regarding the faked death of a chimpanzee in 2021.

Haddix was formally sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on Thursday afternoon.

A defense attorney reportedly asked for one year, one day, portraying her offenses as non-violent and rooted in emotional bonds with animals. However, the prosecution argued for “significant time.” An advisory guideline based on an offense level and criminal history had recommended 24-30 months in prison.

The sentencing comes weeks after officials discovered an unregistered chimpanzee in the basement of her Sunrise Beach home, which broke the conditions of her bond.

It all started with a series of FOX 2 reports in 2020 when a chimpanzee escaped a compound—which Haddix owned—in Festus. The animals were once part of a business, Chimp Party, in which they were used for everything: From children’s birthday parties to greeting cards and even a movie.

Haddix was accused of unsafe and unsanitary conditions for the seven chimpanzees, according to prior FOX 2 reports.

Animal rights activist group PETA stepped in, obtaining a court order to have the animals removed from Haddix’s facility and be transferred to an accredited animal sanctuary. For years, Haddix defied officials’ orders, and told FOX 2 on repeated occasions that she would not surrender the chimpanzees.

When federal workers did come to collect the animals, that is when Haddix lied about one chimpanzee, Tonka, dying in order to keep the animal in her basement. Tonka was found nearly one year later by U.S. Marshals.

The case garnered a large amount of attention, so much that it turned into an HBO series, “Chimp Crazy.”

Today, Tonka now resides at the Save The Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. Last year, Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, supposedly settled a PETA lawsuit with a six-figure payout, according to prior reports.

As for Haddix’s sentence, PETA shared the following statement on behalf of PETA Foundation General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet:

“Now that Tonia Haddix is locked up, she’s getting a taste of the suffering she inflicted on animals by imprisoning them in cages and denying them any semblance of a natural life. PETA is relieved to see justice done and urges everyone to support the Captive Primate Safety Act, which will keep vulnerable monkeys and apes out of the pet trade and the hands of ruthless dealers like Haddix.”