Ex-NFL player charged with running unprecedented dog fighting operation
Authorities seized 190 dogs, which is believed to be the most ever seized from a single person in a dog fighting case.
A file photo of a dog rescued from a suspected dog fighting ring in Florida last year. Credit: ASPCA
A former NFL player has been charged with running a large-scale dog fighting operation in the US.
Leshon Eugene Johnson, of Oklahoma, appeared in court last week on charges of possessing 190 pit bull-type dogs for use in a dog fighting venture.
Authorities believe that the staggering number of dogs represents the largest amount ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case.
Unsealed court documents submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma revealed that Johnson ran a dog fighting operation known as “Mal Kant Kennels” across two locations in Oklahoma.
At the kennels, fighting dogs that had successfully won fights were bred to produce so-called “champion” dogs with fighting traits and abilities desired by Johnson. These dogs were then marketed and sold to other dog fighters, with Johnson facing charges for trafficking fighting dogs across the country.
“Animal abuse is cruel, depraved, and deserves severe punishment,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement to press. “The Department of Justice will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law and will remain committed to protecting innocent animals from those who would do them harm.”
Johnson’s operation is described by authorities as having contributed to the growth of the dog fighting industry. The Justice Department says his prosecution will now help disrupt a major source of dogs used in other dog fighting ventures.
The case is a repeat offense for Johnson, now age 54, who had already taken a guilty plea on state animal fighting charges back in 2004.
A file photo of dogs rescued from a suspected dogfighting ring in Florida last year. Credit: ASPCA
According to sports publication ESPN, Johnson was a third-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 1994 draft, and also played for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.
If convicted on the latest charges, Johnson could receive a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the 21 counts he faces.
Dog fighting in the US
Authorities and animal welfare groups say that dog fighting is widespread across the country and much more common than people think.
It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of individuals forcing hundreds of thousands of dogs to train, fight, and suffer every year in the US, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Dog fighting rings can involve a network with hundreds of dogs. The animals are often kept in horrific conditions, given steroids and other drugs, and forced into physical training that can include treadmills and weighted collars. Dogs will often be made to fight until one of the animals is killed.
The blood sport continues to take place across the country despite dog fighting being a felony in all 50 states. Under federal law, it is illegal to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase, or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
However, increased law enforcement and pursuing jail time for offenders is helping to tackle the practice.
A high-profile case last year saw a former Pentagon official plead guilty for leading a dogfighting network in Maryland for over 20 years. Frederick Douglass Moorfield Jr., admitted to training dogs for fighting, gambling on staged battles between dogs, and selling seasoned fighting dogs to others in the dogfighting network. He was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and a $20,000 fine.
Earlier this year, a US man based in Georgia was sentenced to serve 475 years in prison after being found guilty of 93 counts of Dog Fighting.
Read more: over 100 dogs rescued from suspected dog fighting ring in Florida.
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