Repeat Offender Charged With Possessing Animal Porn

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jul 18, 2008 2:55PM

Northwest Indiana native Michael Bessigano faces federal charges of downloading animal porn. Bessigano pleaded not guilty to the charges, which his probation officer brought after discovering images and videos of bestiality on his computer, in violation of the terms of his parole. In 2001, Bessigano was convicted of sexually assaulting a chicken in a Valparaiso hotel room. He stole the chicken from a farm south of Valparaiso, took it to a hotel room he had rented for the night, plucked its feathers, and then had sex with the animal before it died.

Bessigano has a history of animal abuse, including three prior convictions for sexually assaulting dogs, two of which involved the killing of the animals. He was arrested twice prior to that, once after being accused of breaking a rooster's neck and once after he was found in a neighbor's goose pen apparently attempting to molest the geese. According to officials, when he was in jail he would paint cat-like stripes on his body and make drawings referring to himself as "master of cats." Bessigano's mother says that he's schizophrenic and that the family has had trouble finding adequate treatment for him. John Martin, his court-appointed attorney, says that he's competent to assist in his defense. He will remain in jail pending his trial.