Former NFL Player Convicted for Abusing Nearly 200 Pit Bulls in Dog Fighting Ring

Last October, federal authorities seized 190 Pit Bull-type dogs from the residence of LeShon Johnson, a former National Football League running back and kick returner who played for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Giants in the 1990s. An investigation found that the dogs were being abused in a profitable dog fighting ring. This Monday, after a multi-day trial, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Johnson had been convicted of six felony counts related to animal cruelty.

As detailed in a statement released by the DOJ, Johnson ran a dog fighting ring called “Mal Kant Kennels” out of Haskell, Oklahoma, and his home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He bred dogs who had already won multiple dog fights in an attempt to raise pups with desirable fighting abilities, and he sold many of these dogs to other dog fighters. “His trafficking of fighting dogs to other dog fighters across the country contributed to the growth of the dog fighting industry and allowed Johnson to profit financially,” the DOJ reported.

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It was Johnson’s second arrest on dog fighting charges; in 2004, he pled guilty to running another ring, “Krazyside Kennels,” and received a deferred sentence. Mal Kant Kennels was an even more heinous operation. According to the DOJ, it is the “largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case.”

Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states, and for good reason. Dogs raised to participate in fights are often kept in inhumane conditions and chained in enclosed and unsanitary spaces, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). During fights, dogs suffer injuries including broken bones, lacerations, and puncture wounds. Many animals are executed when they are unable or unwilling to fight. Admission fees, gambling, and breeding make dog fighting highly profitable.

During the recent trial, Johnson faced 23 counts of animal cruelty and was found guilty of six. A federal jury found that Johnson violated “the federal Animal Welfare Act’s prohibitions against possessing, selling, transporting, and delivering animals to be used in fighting ventures,” said the DOJ. Johnson will receive his sentence at an undecided later date. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.

“Dog fighting is a vicious and cruel crime that has no place in a civilized society,” U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma said in the DOJ’s statement. “I commend the hard work of our law enforcement partners in investigating this case and holding the defendant accountable for his crimes.”