Boston College MBA Caught On Video Beating His Dog
John A. Byrne
6 min read
Boston College MBA Jeffrey Previte was caught on security video beating his dog. He has since apologized but is under investigation for animal abuse
First, it was a Chicago Booth MBA in New York City who lost her job after her racist behavior went viral in a video on social media.
Now, a Boston College MBA graduate, Jeffrey Previte, 46, was caught on a security camera repeatedly beating his four-month-old dog Bici in a condominium building in Santa Monica, CA. In the August 22nd video, Previte can be seen grabbing the whimpering dog by the throat, choking, and slapping the dog. At one point, he slammed the animal against a wall.
Only two days earlier, Previte was named co-CEO of EBI Consulting, a company founded in 1989 by his father, Frank, who is a vice-chairman of the trustees of Boston College. The privately-owned firm is in the environmental risk and compliance management services business and headquartered in Burlington, MA.
Ironically, Previte is an MBA graduate of Boston College, a Jesuit school that requires that its MBA students complete 20 hours of community service, in part, to further the Jesuit tradition of service. The school advertises its full-time MBA program as an experience from which “students emerge as leaders who will guide society and organizations through the 21st century.” Previte graduated from BC’s Carroll School of Management with a concentration in technological marketing and holds a B.S. in environmental geosciences also from Boston College
THE CONCIERGE HEARD THE DOG SCREAMING DURING THE VICIOUS BEATING
Photo of Jeffrey Previte since removed from EBI Consulting’s website
The incident, first reported by the Daily Mail which posted the video on its website, came to the newspaper’s attention when the building’s concierge heard the dog’s cries and filed a report about the vicious beating. “I heard the dog screaming and when I looked on the camera, I saw him beating the dog,’ the concierge told the Daily Mail. When the concierge, who declined to be identified, told Previte he had the footage and was going to write a report, “He became irate… and then he hung up on me. He apologized the next day, but I didn’t think it was a sincere apology.”
At first, Previte deleted all his social media accounts, from LinkedIn to Facebook. His company also took down from its website his biography. And he responded to the Daily Mail by insisting that there was nothing illegal about his violent attack on the dog and that it was “unfortunate” the newspaper found out about it. There was no remorse, no apology. Instead, he claimed that the concierge attempted to extort him.
PREVITE CHANGES HIS TUNE AFTER THE VIDEO WENT VIRAL
“I think this is very unfortunate that this has come across your desk,” he wrote in a statement to the paper. “I don’t even know exactly what to say but I will say this: [The concierge] called me the evening of this interaction with my dog and that was at nine o’clock at night and he attempted to extort money from me so that he wouldn’t report it to the building. There’s nothing illegal about what I did – I said if you need to tell the building, tell the building…I find it very unfortunate that we are even talking about this.”
According to the report filed by the unnamed concierge (see below), Previte was described as “very hostile,” “very aggressive,” and “very violent.”
Excerpt of the report filed by the concierge
Since Previte’s attack on the dog went viral and his actions have come under investigation by the district attorney for animal cruelty charges, however, the Boston College MBA has changed his tune. He has given up the dog and publicly apologized. He says he lost his temper and “took unreasonable and unjustifiable action.” He said the abusive video doesn’t represent the time he spent with the dog. ”I am an imperfect person, but hope that maybe in time I will earn some level of forgiveness,” he wrote.
Previte also he is taking a leave of absence from his job, enrolling in an anger management program and spending time and money helping animal rights organizations. In his statement of apology, he does not repeat his claim of ever being extorted by the concierge.
HIS BROTHER AND CO-CEO DESCRIBES THE VIOLENT BEATING AS “ZEALOUS DISCIPLINE OF THE DOG FOR PEEING THE RUG’
Meantime, Previte’s older brother, who happens to be co-CEO with him, sent an email on Friday to the firm’s employees defending his brother’s violent abuse of the dog. “Please trust me here,” he wrote, “Jeff certainly regrets the zealous discipline of the dog for peeing the rug, but I assure you this is absolute nonsense. He’s an extremely kindhearted, sensitive, caring and thoughtful person with zero cruel or abusive tendencies. He’s truly the opposite of cruel or abusive.”
Here is Previte’s full statement of apology:
I want everyone to know that I truly regret my actions on August 22, 2020. Words can’t fully describe how sorry I am for what happened. I lost my temper and took unreasonable and unjustifiable action in attempting to discipline my dog Bici. As I have said, words are not enough here, Bici is no longer living with me and is with another loving family. I have also stepped away from my job and am enrolling in anger management training.
Additionally, I am making financial contributions and looking to dedicate my time to support animal rights organizations. I own this. It is not who I am and not representative of the quality time my dog Bici and I have spent together. I am sorry first and foremost to my dog, Bici is the best dog in the world. I also apologize to all who have been understandably upset by this. I love Bici and we have had an exceptional life full of affection and I already miss my companion. I am an imperfect person, but hope that maybe in time I will earn some level of forgiveness.
As part of accepting responsibility, I have taken a leave of absence from my job. As you know, I am part of a family business and my actions are in no way reflective of the values of my family or my colleagues. I am heartbroken over the attention my actions have brought to them.
I will work to become a better person and to learn from this.
