Salvatore Gandolfo, of 41 Maplewood Lane, pleaded not guilty to five counts of animal cruelty Monday in 1st District Court, also in Central Islip, a day after police raided the property, rescued the animals and led Mr. Gandolfo away in handcuffs, authorities said.
"They were severely neglected and we will do whatever it takes to get them back to good health and adopted out to families," said Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a not-for-profit group that headed the investigation.
"They're being cared for and housed at this time in Huntington, at the Indian Head Ranch, under ASPCA's foster care," Mr. Gross said. "The most important thing was to get them out of the environment they were in, facing death."
Citing prior traffic offenses and a history of failing to show up in court, the judge held Mr. Gandolfo on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota's office.
Mr. Gandolfo gave his occupation as "mason," a district attorney spokesman said.
The horses seized included a chestnut mare, an Arabian mare, a black mare, a paint gelding and a bay stallion, officials said.
One neighbor of the property in Central Islip told television news crews Sunday that the land reeked of manure -- and that the horses looked "skeletonized."
"It's terrible to say, but they looked like they just came out of a concentration camp," the woman added. "Hopefully, they'll get better."
Mr. Gandolfo faces up to two years behind bars if convicted, prosecutors said. His lawyer did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The SCSPCA, which operates on donations and is not affiliated with the ASPCA in New York City, has filed a petition with the court for the defendant to post a security bond, which the SCSPCA can use to recoup the costs of housing and feeding the animals for at least 30 days. With care costing an estimated $50 per horse per day, the group is requesting that Mr. Gandolfo post $7,500 until the case is resolved.
A hearing on the petition will be held within 10 days, prosecutors said.
Although he would not elaborate on how long the SCSPCA and other authorities had been looking into Mr. Gandolfo's horses, Mr. Gross said the investigation "does continue. We are working very closely with the district attorney's office."
mwhite@timesreview.com