He adopted cats from shelters and abused them in hotel rooms for money. Now he's going to prison.

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Chesterfield County man received what is believed to be the longest prison sentence for animal cruelty in Virginia's history for abusing dozens of cats in Henrico County.

Rodney Travis Junior was sentenced in Henrico County Circuit Court to 15 years in prison and fined $25,000 Wednesday for abusing cats in what prosecutors described in court as "cruelty for profit," "weaponized empathy," and "acts of unspeakable evil."

Travis pleaded guilty to 10 charges related to the case, according to Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor.

Those charges included six counts of Class 6 felony animal cruelty, 1 count of Class 1 misdemeanor animal cruelty, and 3 counts of Class 5 felony computer fraud to obtain money by false pretenses.

Watch: Court documents reveal disturbing details

Prosecutors say Travis adopted cats from various shelters in Virginia and out of state using his real name, fake identities, and even his own father's identity.

Travis would then take those cats to hotels in the county, abuse them, and post pictures and videos of their injuries to social media. He would then claim the cats had cancer and ask for donations to cover medical bills.

Prosecutors say he made over $400,000 doing this but used the money to fund his dreams of a career in music.

According to Taylor, Henrico Police were notified by the Attorney General's Office and the Chesterfield County Animal Control Unit of unlawful activity in February 2026 and immediately launched an investigation.

Animal rescues had grown suspicious of Travis, tracked his various scams, and passed the information to police. Investigators say that legwork allowed them to arrest Travis within 24 hours.

"I told him, I said 'We know what you're gonna do. You mess with the wrong rescue and I will get you.' And he laughed at me, and he was like, 'No, you won't.' And I said, 'Yeah, I will.' And we did in February," Pam Hall, Assistant Director at Cat's Cradle, said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dylan McAuley and Senior Assistant Attorney General Michelle Welch.

"Getting a court to recognize the severity of this being near the level of where people are often sentenced to murder is very important because while they're not people, these lives do matter," McAuley said.

"This is the largest animal cruelty sentence that has ever been imposed in the Commonwealth and reflects the horrific crimes the defendant inflicted on these cats," Taylor said.

Taylor also highlighted a public Animal Cruelty Registry her office initiated to track individuals convicted of serious crimes against animals and prevent convicted abusers from adopting or owning animals in the future.

"My office and Henrico County continue to be dedicated to the protection of animals and for those who consider their pets a member of their families," Taylor said. "I am proud that we initiated a public Animal Cruelty Registry to track individuals convicted of serious crimes against animals and prevent convicted abusers from adopting or owning animals in the future. This case highlighted the need for such a registry."

In total, investigators believe Travis abused at least 26 cats. Only six of those are known to have survived and have been rehomed.

Travis also pleaded guilty to charges in Chesterfield County and will be sentenced there in December.

His father also faced charges related to the case — including being an accessory to a felony and lying to investigators. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 months.

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.