Group applauds federal prosecution of Johnson but says the prison term should have been doubled as a repeat offender tied to record seizure of 190 dogs
Tulsa, Okla. — Animal Wellness Action today applauded the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI for prosecuting former NFL player and repeat animal-fighting offender LeShon Eugene Johnson, but said he should have received a longer prison term for a repeat offender running a major national dogfighting syndicate. Johnson was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury convicted him on six felony counts related to a large-scale dogfighting and trafficking operation in Oklahoma.
Federal authorities seized 190 pit bull-type dogs from Johnson — the largest number ever seized from a single individual in a federal dogfighting case.
“Dogfighting is an extreme example of a violent crime, and only the threat of long-term incarceration and asset losses will deter people from engaging in this kind of savagery,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Oklahoma is a hotbed of illegal animal fighting activity, and there must be more cases brought against dogfighters and cockfighters.”
Johnson operated Mal Kant Kennels in Broken Arrow and Haskell, according to federal prosecutors. Evidence presented at trial showed that he selectively bred and trafficked dogs from fighting bloodlines, including dogs described in the dogfighting world as “champions” and “grand champions,” and sold breeding rights and offspring to other dogfighters.
Johnson was no newcomer to animal fighting. He previously pleaded guilty to Oklahoma state animal-fighting charges stemming from an earlier operation known as Krazyside Kennels and received a five-year deferred sentence.
“Dogfighting is a calculated enterprise in which animals are bred, conditioned, and placed in a pit to maul each other for gambling and entertainment, a heinous crime of cruelty,” said Kevin Chambers, Oklahoma state director for Animal Wellness Action. “We commend federal prosecutors for dismantling this operation and putting Johnson in prison.”
“Johnson’s prior conviction for dogfighting obviously did not deter him,” Pacelle said. “This time federal authorities stepped in, built a major case, and put him behind bars. We applaud them for doing it, but for a repeat offender associated with 190 fighting dogs, a stronger sentence should have been imposed.”
Animal Wellness Action noted that animal-fighting enterprises extend far beyond what happens inside a fighting pit. They can include breeding networks, trafficking of animals, gambling, training operations, specialized fighting equipment, and transportation networks that sustain an underground industry.
Animal Wellness Action is advocating continued aggressive enforcement and passage of federal legislation to dismantle animal fighting networks permanently. The federal Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Animal Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946 and S. 1454, would strengthen penalties for animal fighting, enhance federal enforcement tools, and target the organized criminal enterprises behind these operations.
The bill is supported by both the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association along with more than 500 other law enforcement agencies and more than 1,150 endorsing agencies and organizations. 175 U.S. senators and U.S. representatives have endorsed the FIGHT Act, but none of them are from Oklahoma.