Bad Newz Kennels Dog Fighting Investigation - Overview

Overview

The Bad Newz dog fighting investigation began in April 2007 with a search of property in Surry County, Virginia, owned by Atlanta Falcons’ football quarterback Michael Vick, and the subsequent discovery of evidence of a dog fighting ring in Newport News, Virginia. Over seventy dogs, mostly pit bull terriers, with some said to be showing signs of injuries, were seized along with physical evidence during several searches of Vick's 15-acre property by local, state and federal authorities.

In July 2007, Vick and three other men were indicted on federal offense and state felony charges relating to a six-year long continuing criminal enterprise of an interstate dog fighting ring known as “Bad Newz Kennels,” based upon a local nickname for Newport News, Vick's hometown. Allegations included Vick's direct involvement in dog fighting, high-stakes gambling, and brutal executions of dogs. Public outcry resulted from widespread news media publicity of the details which included hanging, drowning, electrocuting and shooting dogs. There were public demonstrations by both Vick supporters and animal rights activists. In the wake, many companies who had been paying for his endorsements withdrew Vick products from retail marketing when he was convicted.

By August 20, all the defendants on the initial federal charges including Vick had agreed to guilty pleas under plea bargain agreements, apparently avoiding facing the possibility of additional and more serious charges under the powerful Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson, who is not bound by sentencing recommendations in plea agreements, had previously advised two of the defendants that the aggravated circumstances involving executing the dogs warranted an upward revision of the sentencing guidelines. The single felony charges carry a maximum sentence of five years.

On November 30, Peace and Phillips were sentenced by Judge Hudson to 18 and 21 months in federal prison respectively. The punishments were higher than recommended by federal prosecutors, and included three years of supervised probation following their release from prison. During the sentencing, an attorney for Quanis Phillips argued that his client came from a culture in which dog fighting was an accepted practice. He further claimed that Phillips grew up around it and that it was a proving ground for young men to demonstrate their strength, adding "Dogfighting was an accepted and acceptable activity in their world." They attended dogfights as youths. Then, after Vick signed his first NFL contract, "...suddenly there's money for these young men to get dogs … get involved in this world."

Judge Hudson responded that while they might have grown up seeing dogfighting as normal behavior, that didn't temper guilt in this case. As he pronounced a sentence which exceeded the guidelines and plea agreement recommendations, he stated:

"You may have thought this was sporting, but it was very callous and cruel," he said. "I hope you understand that now."

At the time of the November 30 hearings for Peace and Phillips, Vick was being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia where he had turned himself in early while awaiting sentencing on the federal convictions on December 10, 2007. Vick received a harsher sentence than Peace and Phillips after Hudson concluded that the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback lied about his direct involvement in killing dogs and about his marijuana use, which was detected in a drug test, as well as his greater role in the criminal enterprise and lesser cooperation during the earlier investigation. Taylor, who is alleged to have had a greater role in the conspiracy than Peace and Phillips is also due to be sentenced on December 10, but, like Peace and Phillips, had agreed to testify against Vick at trial before he also accepted a plea agreement.

In addition to federal actions, a parallel state investigation had also been underway since April 2007. Surry County prosecutor Gerald L. Poindexter later described the information contained in the federal plea agreements as "a road map to indictments in Surry County." Plea bargains with federal prosecutors would have no official standing in the local cases against any of the four federal co-defendants. (Double jeopardy concepts would not apply to state and federal overlapping cases). In September, 2007, all four men convicted in the federal case were also indicted by the Surry County Grand Jury on state felony charges relating to dog fighting under state laws after indictments were returned by a local grand jury in Surry County, Virginia. Vick faces two felony counts under state laws and his trial in Surry County Circuit Court has been set for April 2, 2008. The maximum penalty if then convicted on the state charges would be 10 years in a state penitentiary.

Unlike the other men, Vick was a millionaire and celebrity. He is currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles under reinstatement. He led the Eagles to the playoffs, and picked up his first new endorsement deal with Unequal Technologies. Unequal Technologies makes shoulder pads for the NFL and its players.

In December 2009, Sports Illustrated named Michael Vick and the dog fighting investigation as one of the top 10 sports news stories of the decade of the 2000s.