DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa dog breeder, fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for maintaining unsanitary and unsafe conditions for animals has pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements in an effort to avoid paying the fines. Court documents show 61-year-old Gary Felts entered the plea July 13. He faces up to five years in prison.

The USDA fined Felts nearly $19,000 in 2012 after inspectors found repeated Animal Welfare Act violations over a five-year period at his kennels in Kingsley. Felts never paid the fine and he was ordered to file yearly financial disclosure statements and negotiate payments. Prosecutors say he failed to disclose bank accounts and a $25,000 workers’ compensation settlement.