Case Dropped in Scheme to Kill Horses

The U.S. attorney’s office has quietly dropped charges against a Kentucky dentist accused of scheming to kill racehorses for insurance money, prosecutors confirmed today.

Dr. Joseph J. Brown of Shelbyville, Ky., was arrested Feb. 17 in a Calder Race Course thoroughbred barn on charges of wire fraud.

The case evolved after Brown allegedly told an undercover agent for the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Board that he would kill racehorses for a share of the insurance profits.

“The case was dismissed (March 1) by U.S. Magistrate Peter Palermo on a motion by the government,” U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman Diane Cossin said today.

She added that the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can be filed again at any time.

Another source close to the investigation, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said prosecutors agreed to drop the charges in exchange for Brown’s cooperation with federal investigators in Kentucky.

At the time of his arrest, Brown, 43, had two vials of a clear liquid and two syringes hidden in his socks, according to an affidavit, and apparently intended to give a thoroughbred a lethal injection, Miami FBI spokesman Paul Miller said.

The dentist allegedly said he would charge $15,000 to kill the horse at Calder--$2,500 down and the rest upon settlement of the insurance claim, according to the FBI.

The FBI affidavit made references to the related deaths of horses in New Jersey and New York. But the Thoroughbred Racing Assn. in New York found no evidence of suspicious deaths at tracks in those states, said Chris Scherf, executive vice president of the organization.

Brown is a 1975 graduate of the University of Kentucky’s school of dentistry. He listed himself as a self-employed dentist in 1987 when he registered as a thoroughbred owner with the Kentucky State Racing Commission.