Elderly US Postal Worker Arrested After Stealing 80 Cats From Properties, Cops Find A Foot Of Poop Inside Her Home With Nearly 100 Animals Living Inside
STUART, Fla. – A 77-year-old U.S. Postal Service mail carrier has been arrested after authorities discovered nearly 100 animals living in squalid, filthy conditions inside her Florida home, with investigators saying she collected many of the cats while on her delivery route.
Gail Giustino faces misdemeanor animal cruelty charges following a raid on her residence in Stuart’s Foxwood community earlier this week. Martin County deputies and animal control officers rescued approximately 80 cats and 12 dogs from the property, where they found stacks of cages, extreme heat, and up to a foot of animal feces covering the floors.
“When we cracked the door on it earlier today, the stench was unreal. The air was stifling hot,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said in statements describing the scene. He called it the worst animal hoarding case he has seen in the county.
Authorities say animal control had attempted to gain access to the home for about a week, but Giustino refused to cooperate. Once inside, hazmat teams and responders encountered cages stacked floor-to-ceiling filled with underweight, stressed animals, some missing fur, living in unbearable conditions.
Investigators believe Giustino, a USPS employee since 1997, had been picking up feral and stray cats along her mail route in the Port Salerno and Coral Gardens areas. Residents in the neighborhood have come forward, wondering if their missing pets are among those recovered. Officials have already identified the owners of at least five of the animals and are urging others who believe their cats may be involved to file missing pet reports.
The animals were transported to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast for medical evaluation and care. Some appear friendly and may be adoptable, while others remain feral.
Giustino’s arrest has sparked outrage among locals and animal advocates, highlighting concerns about how a longtime postal worker could allegedly use her position to accumulate such a large number of animals without earlier intervention. The sheriff’s office continues to investigate and process the scene.
