Los Angeles, California - A Riverside County man pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal criminal charge for inflicting severe injuries on a puppy – including slitting its throat – then posting videos of the suffering animal on his social media accounts.

Angel Ramos-Corrales, 19, of Riverside, pleaded guilty to one felony count of animal crushing.

According to his plea agreement, on February 13, Ramos-Corrales assaulted his pet dog, whom he named “Canelo,” inflicting severe injuries to the puppy’s head and torso, causing skull and rib fractures. The dog’s injuries caused it to continuously fall headfirst, and Ramos-Corrales recorded a video of the injured puppy and posted it on his Instagram account.

On the same day, Ramos-Corrales slit Canelo’s throat by approximately 4.4 centimeters (1.7 inches), causing the dog to bleed significantly and lapse into unconsciousness. While Canelo was lying on a bathroom floor, Ramos-Corrales recorded a video of the puppy and posted it on his Snapchat account, according to the plea agreement. On the video, Ramos-Corrales makes a series of statements, including “I’m cold-hearted,” and then callously kicks the still-alive Canelo.

After law enforcement arrived at Ramos-Corrales’ residence, Riverside County Department of Animal Services took custody of Canelo and a veterinarian determined that the dog was still alive, but later euthanized Canelo because of the severity of the dog’s injuries.

United States District Judge John F. Walter has scheduled an August 16 sentencing hearing, at which time Ramos-Corrales will face a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison.

The FBI investigated this matter and received substantial assistance from the Riverside Police Department. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office received the initial referral from the Riverside Police Department, and, after reviewing the matter and conferring with the United States Attorney’s Office, a decision was made that federal prosecutors would file the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Julius J. Nam of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.