The U.S. Department of Justice secured an indictment against former NFL running back Leshon Johnson for allegedly running a large dogfighting business.
The feds accuse Leshon Johnson of dogfighting
The FBI raided Johnson’s property in Broken Arrow, Okla., about 15 miles southeast of Tulsa, and took away nearly 200 pit bulls that the DOJ said were used for dogfighting and trafficking to feed other dogfighting enterprises nationally, according to KJRH-TV news station.
This is being called the biggest dogfighting bust in U.S. history.
DOJ said dogs were bred for savage operation
“Dog fighting is a cruel, blood-thirsty venture, not a legitimate business or sporting activity,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, according to the Justice Department’s website. “I applaud the investigative work of the FBI and the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in detecting and dismantling breeding operations which only serve to propagate this deplorable conduct.”
Court documents obtained by the station accuse Johnson of camouflaging his dogfighting operation under the business “Mal Kant Kennels” in Broken Arrow and Haskell.
Lauren Holder, director of Community Pet Support, at Tulsa’s SPCA, told the station that neighbors can help cease dogfighting.
“You can sometimes see, multiple animals coming out of the home at different times of day,” Holder said. “if you’re seeing litter after litter being born and then just disappear, that could be indicative as well.”
Leshon Johnson excelled in college and pros
Johnson was a running back star for Northern Illinois in the early 1990s and was sixth in the Heisman Trophy race. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 1994 NFL Draft, where he played six seasons for the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants.
Leshon Johnson was arrested for this about 20 years ago
But after he retired, Johnson entered the illicit dogfighting world. He was busted in 2004 for running what was called the largest dogfighting enterprise in Oklahoma history. He pleaded guilty but was given a five-year deferred prison sentence. Instead of turning away from this illegal operation, Johnson allegedly expanded it to be the biggest ever to be busted in U.S. history.
“And all for what? For some fleeting form of entertainment and for illegal gambling? Makes no sense to me,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said to 2 News.
