Former NFL Player LeShon Johnson Convicted for Running Dog Fighting Ring, Ordered to Return 190 'Pit Bull-Type' Dogs
LeShon Johnson has been convicted of six felonies related to operating a large-scale dog-fighting ring in Oklahoma
The former NFL running back surrendered 190 "pit bull-type" dogs
Johnson was a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1993Former NFL pro running back LeShon Johnson has been convicted on charges related to operating a large-scale dog fighting and trafficking venture in Oklahoma.
Johnson, 54, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act's prohibitions against possessing, selling, transporting and delivering animals to be used in fighting ventures, according to a Department of Justice press release on Monday, Aug. 4.
Johnson, a 1993 Heisman Trophy contender, also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each of the six felony counts.
Following the verdict, the Haskell, Okla. native surrendered to the government 190 'pit bull-type' dogs seized in the case. According to the release, 'the government is pursuing forfeiture of these dogs.'
Johnson was charged with the felonies in March, in what the DOJ said at the time was the largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case.
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Federal authorities alleged Johnson ran the dog-fighting ring under the name 'Mal Kant Kennels' in Haskell and in Broken Arrow, Okla.
'Johnson selectively bred 'champion' and 'grand champion' fighting dogs — dogs that have respectively won three or five fights — to produce offspring with fighting traits and abilities desired by him and others for use in dog fights,' the DOJ said in a news release at the time. 'Johnson marketed and sold stud rights and offspring from winning fighting dogs to other dog fighters looking to incorporate the Mal Kant Kennels 'bloodline' into their own dog fighting operations.'
Johnson previously pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges in 2004 after he was arrested for running Krazyside Kennels, which doubled as a dog-fighting ring.
The former Northern Illinois University athlete played in the NFL for six seasons for the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals. In 1999, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma before he returned to the league with the New York Giants.
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