NFL star among 4 indicted in dogfighting operation
By SAEED AHMED and STEVE WYCHE
Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
ATLANTA _ A federal grand jury indicted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick Tuesday for his alleged role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia, where breeders matched pit bulls for purses as high as $26,000 and some losing dogs were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot to death.
The National Football League called the activities alleged in the indictment "cruel, degrading and illegal." Vick is one of the league's highest-paid and most popular players.
The Falcons also released a statement expressing disappointment that one of the team's players "is being presented to the public in a negative way."
"This situation has been troubling to many people, including our fans, during the last few months," the statement said. "With today's news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael works through the legal process toward a conclusion."
In addition to Vick, the 18-page federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., names three other defendants: Purnell A. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va.; Quanis L. Phillips, 28, of Atlanta; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Va.
The court is expected to set an initial hearing date today, spokesman Jim Rybicki said. The hearing probably will take place within the next two weeks.
Vick, 27, will not be arrested but will be issued a summons to appear at that initial hearing, Rybicki said. Neither Vick nor his lawyer, Larry Woodward, could be reached for comment Tuesday, but Vick has denied any involvement in dogfighting.
The grand jury charged that the dogs lived, trained and fought at specific locations on Vick's property: five shelters, including a two-story garage in a wooded area behind a white-brick, two-story estate home.
On at least two occasions in 2003, Vick traveled from Atlanta to South Carolina to participate in dogfights, according to the indictment.
The dogs that fared poorly, as well as those that didn't perform well in test fights, met a cruel fate, the grand jury concluded.
"In or about April 2007," the indictment said, "Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well ... by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."
All four men are charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.
If convicted on the travel portion of the charge, each man faces up to five years in prison. If convicted on the animal fighting portion, each faces up to a year behind bars.
The NFL said it would review the matter under the league's personal conduct policy.
"We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him," an NFL statement said.
According to prosecutors, Vick paid $34,000 in 2001 to buy a property in Smithfield, Va. He and the three men formed a dogfighting enterprise called Bad Newz Kennels.
Bad Newz is the street name for Newport News, Va., Vick's hometown.
The men began buying dogs from several sellers, in one case paying about $1,000 for four pit bull puppies. They also made alterations to the property, erecting a fence to shield parts of the compound from view.
In 2002, Peace and Vick tested some of the dogs in short fights, prosecutors said. Peace killed a poor-performing pit bull by shooting it with a .22-caliber pistol. Eventually, all four defendants shot dogs that didn't live up to fighting standards.
Soon after, the defendants began hosting dogfights at the property, the indictment said. Participants traveled from Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Texas and elsewhere. Purses would range into the thousands of dollars, and each bout would last until one dog died or limped away.
The fights followed strict rules, court documents show.
The competing dogs had to be of the same gender and could not vary in weight by more than half a pound. They were bathed immediately before fights to make sure their coats were not "tainted" with a drug or poison that might hinder an opponent. The dogs sometimes were starved to make them more vicious.
The losing dog would be put to death by drowning, hanging, gunshot, electrocution or a different method, the indictment alleges.
Vick's indictment stems in part from an April drug arrest involving Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, who listed his address on Moonlight Road in Virginia's Surry County. When police went to the house with a search warrant, they found 66 dogs, mainly pit bulls, and evidence that suggested dogfighting.
Federal authorities started an investigation of the property in early June. They dug up the grounds of the estate twice, finding dog carcasses and other evidence.
It has been reported that Vick sold the house just after the investigation began in April, but no paperwork on the sale has been filed with the county.
Local and state authorities in Virginia have been staging their own investigation since late April and could send their case to a grand jury next week.
Vick has bred and sold pit bulls and other breeds through two companies: Mike Vick K-9 Kennels and MV7 Inc. Their Web site, recently taken off line, described their animals as "family pets."
"We do not promote, support or raise dogs for fighting, and will not knowingly sell, give or trade any dog that may be used for fighting," the Web site said.
Vick and the Falcons are scheduled to begin practice July 26 for the upcoming season.
I am also going to send an email to the NFL expressing my disgust and my intention to boycott football unless something is done.
This man is a monster.
By SAEED AHMED and STEVE WYCHE
Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
ATLANTA _ A federal grand jury indicted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick Tuesday for his alleged role in a dogfighting operation in Virginia, where breeders matched pit bulls for purses as high as $26,000 and some losing dogs were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot to death.
The National Football League called the activities alleged in the indictment "cruel, degrading and illegal." Vick is one of the league's highest-paid and most popular players.
The Falcons also released a statement expressing disappointment that one of the team's players "is being presented to the public in a negative way."
"This situation has been troubling to many people, including our fans, during the last few months," the statement said. "With today's news, our club and team will continue to be tested as Michael works through the legal process toward a conclusion."
In addition to Vick, the 18-page federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., names three other defendants: Purnell A. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va.; Quanis L. Phillips, 28, of Atlanta; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Va.
The court is expected to set an initial hearing date today, spokesman Jim Rybicki said. The hearing probably will take place within the next two weeks.
Vick, 27, will not be arrested but will be issued a summons to appear at that initial hearing, Rybicki said. Neither Vick nor his lawyer, Larry Woodward, could be reached for comment Tuesday, but Vick has denied any involvement in dogfighting.
The grand jury charged that the dogs lived, trained and fought at specific locations on Vick's property: five shelters, including a two-story garage in a wooded area behind a white-brick, two-story estate home.
On at least two occasions in 2003, Vick traveled from Atlanta to South Carolina to participate in dogfights, according to the indictment.
The dogs that fared poorly, as well as those that didn't perform well in test fights, met a cruel fate, the grand jury concluded.
"In or about April 2007," the indictment said, "Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well ... by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."
All four men are charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.
If convicted on the travel portion of the charge, each man faces up to five years in prison. If convicted on the animal fighting portion, each faces up to a year behind bars.
The NFL said it would review the matter under the league's personal conduct policy.
"We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him," an NFL statement said.
According to prosecutors, Vick paid $34,000 in 2001 to buy a property in Smithfield, Va. He and the three men formed a dogfighting enterprise called Bad Newz Kennels.
Bad Newz is the street name for Newport News, Va., Vick's hometown.
The men began buying dogs from several sellers, in one case paying about $1,000 for four pit bull puppies. They also made alterations to the property, erecting a fence to shield parts of the compound from view.
In 2002, Peace and Vick tested some of the dogs in short fights, prosecutors said. Peace killed a poor-performing pit bull by shooting it with a .22-caliber pistol. Eventually, all four defendants shot dogs that didn't live up to fighting standards.
Soon after, the defendants began hosting dogfights at the property, the indictment said. Participants traveled from Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Texas and elsewhere. Purses would range into the thousands of dollars, and each bout would last until one dog died or limped away.
The fights followed strict rules, court documents show.
The competing dogs had to be of the same gender and could not vary in weight by more than half a pound. They were bathed immediately before fights to make sure their coats were not "tainted" with a drug or poison that might hinder an opponent. The dogs sometimes were starved to make them more vicious.
The losing dog would be put to death by drowning, hanging, gunshot, electrocution or a different method, the indictment alleges.
Vick's indictment stems in part from an April drug arrest involving Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, who listed his address on Moonlight Road in Virginia's Surry County. When police went to the house with a search warrant, they found 66 dogs, mainly pit bulls, and evidence that suggested dogfighting.
Federal authorities started an investigation of the property in early June. They dug up the grounds of the estate twice, finding dog carcasses and other evidence.
It has been reported that Vick sold the house just after the investigation began in April, but no paperwork on the sale has been filed with the county.
Local and state authorities in Virginia have been staging their own investigation since late April and could send their case to a grand jury next week.
Vick has bred and sold pit bulls and other breeds through two companies: Mike Vick K-9 Kennels and MV7 Inc. Their Web site, recently taken off line, described their animals as "family pets."
"We do not promote, support or raise dogs for fighting, and will not knowingly sell, give or trade any dog that may be used for fighting," the Web site said.
Vick and the Falcons are scheduled to begin practice July 26 for the upcoming season.
I am also going to send an email to the NFL expressing my disgust and my intention to boycott football unless something is done.
This man is a monster.