Merrill broker charged with animal cruelty

A Merrill Lynch securities broker and his wife face animal cruelty charges after authorities found neglected pets in their New Jersey home last week.
More than 100 severely neglected dogs and cats were found in the posh Saddle River, N.J. home of Philip Tamis and his wife, Cynthia Stewart.
Police also found 23 dead and decomposing pets inside the $2.4 million home, and animal excrement covered the floors.
The couple recently had run into financial hardship: The home is up for foreclosure, and Mr. Tamis filed for bankruptcy in 1997 and 2005, The New York Times said.
Police officers have theorized that the couple had been so overwhelmed by their financial situation that they were incapable of caring for the animals and had become oblivious to the home’s wretched condition, the Times reported.
Officials told the Times that they were going to continue searching for puppies and kittens that may be hiding inside walls and crawl spaces.
Mr. Tamis and Ms. Stewart face 20 counts each of animal cruelty and may face additional charges, according to the Times.
Each count carries at least six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, but prosecutors are pushing for harder penalties and plan to present the case to a grand jury, the Times said.