A former NFL football player was arrested in what the Justice Department called the largest federal dog-fighting bust in history, with nearly 200 dogs seized in a raid.
In October, federal investigators served a search warrant at an Oklahoma property belonging to 54-year-old LeShon Johnson, a former running back with the Green Bay Packers. There, they seized 190 pit bull-type dogs, the largest number of dogs seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case.
Investigators allege Johnson ran a dog-fighting operation called “Mal Kant Kennels” in Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma. Before establishing “Mal Kant Kennels,” Johnson ran another operation called “Krazyside Kennels.”
In 2004, he pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges over the “Krazyside Kennels” operation and got a five-year deferred sentence.
According to court filings from the most recent case, Johnson bred champion and grand champion fighting dogs to “produce offspring with fighting traits and abilities desired by him and others.” Champions and grand champions refer to dogs that have won three or five fights.
One of the canines, named “Hogg,” had won eight dog fights, which investigators characterized as an “unusually high number of wins in the dog fighting industry.” Court filings state that Johnson advertised the animal to sell stud rights and offspring.
The former football player allegedly sold offspring from the dog and others “to other dog fighters looking to incorporate the Mal Kant Kennels bloodline in their own operations.” Investigators say Johnson contributed to the growth of the dog-fighting industry across the country and benefited financially.
It is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase, or receive dogs for fighting purposes, the department said in a news release.
An attorney for Johnson contacted by The Independent declined to comment on the case.
The defendant made his first appearance in court last week. He’s been charged with possessing 190 pit bull-type dogs for use in an animal fighting venture and for selling, transporting, and delivering a dog for use in an animal fighting venture.
He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
“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. “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.”
Johnson, who is from Haskell, Oklahoma, played with the Green Bay Packers for two seasons between 1994 and 1995. He later played with the Arizona Cardinals for three seasons and the New York Giants for one season.
