West Boca Man Charged With Animal Cruelty After Horses Found in ‘Deplorable, Unsanitary’ Conditions

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

A West Boca man was behind bars Friday after being arrested on charges of animal cruelty after at least eight horses on his property were found to be suffering from malnourishment and a slew of sicknesses.

James Marinakis, 74, was taken into custody Friday following the completion of an investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation began after eight of 10 horses on his property were secured and transported to Animal Care and Control for emergency veterinary care last month. According to a statement from PBSO, detectives began looking into Marinakis after they received a complaint stating several horses on a property in the 12200 block of 200th Street South appeared to be severely underweight or injured.

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

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The following day, on Oct. 29, detectives executed search warrants and located 10 horses in poor condition, several of which were “severely malnourished or injured,” the statement said. Stalls were discovered in “deplorable, unsanitary conditions.” Eight of the ten horses were secured and transported to Animal Care and Control for emergency veterinary care; two horses could not be secured, according to the statement.

PBSO released about a dozen images of the disturbing conditions on the property, which borders the Everglades.

Equine veterinarians later confirmed that all eight seized horses suffered from malnutrition, poor body condition, untreated injuries, rain rot, overgrown hooves, dehydration, dental disease, and in one case, a large, maggot-infested wound requiring surgery. These findings were “consistent with long-term neglect,” the statement said.

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

James Marinakis, of Boca Raton, is charged with animal cruelty after horses were seized from his property, Nov. 21, 2025. (Photo: PBSO)

Marinakis was charged with five counts of unlawful abandonment or confinement of an animal and three counts of aggravated animal cruelty. He was arrested and brought to the Palm Beach County Jail for booking Friday.

Marinakis has a history of running afoul of animal cruelty laws, records show. He was arrested in 2009 in a bizarre case in which he was attempting to breed a “super dog” at his farm. Palm Beach County animal control removed 59 dogs from his property that year. By his 2009 arrest, he had already been cited a dozen times over the conditions in which he kept animals on his property, the Sun-Sentinel reported at the time.