The recording artist has been under investigation since police found three dead dogs and 12 undernourished pit bulls at his home near Cave Creek, Ariz., last month.

DMX, through his attorneys, said he was saddened about the mistreatment and insisted a caretaker was paid to feed and water the dogs.

Lawyer Ray Koski said the rapper faced 13 animal cruelty charges in New Jersey in 1999.

Although investigators said they found weapons and illegal drugs in both homes, no charges have been filed in the Cave Creek investigation, the Republic said.

In the New Jersey case, police found 13 pit bull puppies who were deformed by confinement and had to be cut out of their cages, said Koski, a former special prosecutor who represented the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which brought the charges.

Four survived, but the others died or were euthanized.

In that case, DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, pleaded guilty, paid $30,000 in fines and donated $27,500 to produce a radio spot and posters condemning animal cruelty.