Federal Grand Jury Indicts NFL Quarterback Michael Vick on Dog-Fighting Charges

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment on July 17, 2007, against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three co-defendants on charges arising from an alleged interstate dog-fighting operation, NPR reported ^[1]. The indictment charged all four men with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture, under 18 U.S.C. § 371 ^[2][6]. The operation, known as "Bad Newz Kennels," was allegedly run on a 15-acre property owned by Vick in rural Surry County, Virginia ^[7].

Charged alongside Vick were Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips, and Tony Taylor, who were accused of engaging in competitive dog fighting, obtaining and training pit bulls for fighting, and carrying out the enterprise across state lines. All four defendants faced up to six years in federal prison, $350,000 in fines, and restitution if convicted. The indictment alleged the operation had been running since approximately 2001, according to NPR ^[1]. The allegations detailed that the dog-fighting operation began in 2001, not long after Vick was selected as the first overall pick in the NFL draft.

The investigation began in April 2007 with a search of the Surry County property, during which authorities seized over seventy dogs, mostly pit bull terriers, some showing signs of injuries, along with physical evidence gathered across several searches. The interstate commerce element, which granted the federal court jurisdiction over conduct otherwise regulated by state law, was established through the transportation of fighting dogs across state lines and the hosting of dog-fight participants from other states at the Virginia property. The indictment alleged that fights offered purses as high as $26,000, and that Vick once paid $23,000 to the owner of two pit bulls that had beaten Bad Newz Kennels dogs.

According to the indictment, dogs not killed in the fighting pit were often shot, hanged, drowned, or, in one case, slammed to the ground. The case involved two arms of the federal government, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice. Prior to the investigation, dog-fighting cases involving federal authorities were extremely rare. At the time of the indictment, all four defendants entered pleas of not guilty ^[7].

Vick and his co-defendants each faced $350,000 in fines and six years in prison if convicted of the federal charges. Among the conditions set for all defendants was the surrender of passports, restrictions on travel outside their immediate area without court approval, a prohibition on selling or possessing any dog, and, in Vick's case, surrender of any animal breeder or kennel license. The case remained pending before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson in Richmond, Virginia ^[7].

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References

[1] NPR. (2007, July 18). Quarterback Vick Indicted on Dog-Fighting Charges. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/12051610

[2] Animal Legal Defense Fund. (n.d.). Case Study: Animal Fighting – Michael Vick. https://aldf.org/case/case-study-animal-fighting-michael-vick/

[3] ASPCA. (n.d.). The ASPCA and the 2007 Investigation of Michael Vick. https://www.aspca.org/investigations-rescue/dog-fighting/aspca-and-the-2007-investigation-of-michael-vick/

[4] History.com. (2007, August 27). NFL Star Michael Vick Pleads Guilty in Dogfighting Case. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-27/nfl-star-michael-vick-pleads-guilty-in-dogfighting-case