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Michael Vick indicted


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Should have kept the backup

Vick indicted by federal grand jury in dogfighting case

July 17, 2007

CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

RICHMOND, Va. -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegal dogfighting.

Vick and three others were charged with violating federal laws against competitive dogfighting, procuring and training pit bulls for fighting and conducting the enterprise across state lines.

The indictment alleges that Vick and his co-defendants began sponsoring dogfighting in early 2001, the former Virginia Tech star's rookie year with the Falcons.

It accuses Vick, Purnell A. Peace, Quanis L. Phillips and Tony Taylor of "knowingly sponsoring and exhibiting an animal fighting venture," of conducting a business enterprise involving gambling, as well as buying, transporting and receiving dogs for the purposes of an animal fighting venture.

Telephone messages left at the offices and home of Vick's attorney, Larry Woodward, were not immediately returned.

A woman who answered the phone at the home of Vick's mother said the family knew nothing about the charges.

On July 7, federal authorities conducted a second search of the Surry, Va., property owned by Vick that is the center of the dogfighting investigation.

According to court documents filed by federal authorities earlier this month, dogfights have been sponsored by "Bad Newz Kennels" at the property since at least 2002. For the events, participants and dogs traveled from South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Texas and other states.

Fifty-four pit bulls were recovered from the property during searches in April, along with a "rape stand," used to hold dogs in place for mating; an electric treadmill modified for dogs; and a bloodied piece of carpeting, the documents said.

During a June search of the property, investigators uncovered the graves of seven pit bulls that were killed by members of "Bad Newz Kennels" following sessions to test whether the dogs would be good fighters, the documents alleged.

Members of "Bad Newz Kennels" also sponsored and exhibited fights in other parts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and other states, according to the filings.

On Vick's website, he lists his birthplace as Newport News, "a.k.a. BadNews."

The documents said the fights usually occurred late at night or in the early morning and would last several hours.

Before fights, participating dogs of the same sex would be weighed and bathed, according to the filings. Opposing dogs would be washed to remove any poison or narcotic placed on the dog's coat that could affect the other dog's performance.

Sometimes, dogs weren't fed to "make it more hungry for the other dog."

Fights would end when one dog died or with the surrender of the losing dog, which was sometimes put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging, gun shot, electrocution or some other method, according to the documents.

Vick initially said he had no idea the property might have been used in a criminal enterprise and blamed family members for taking advantage of his generosity.

Vick has since declined to talk about the investigation.

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Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, made the announcement. If convicted on the Travel Act portion of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and full restitution. If convicted on the animal fighting venture portion of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, or both. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking recovery of any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained directly or indirectly as a result of these offenses.

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oh yeah he's in a WORLD of sh!t

looks like the Falcons are gonna need Culpepper after all :P

I don't know if it's sad or telling or the way we are but this will be treated as a more horrible crime then the Chris Benoit murders by the media... guess it's good because the witch hunt on wrestling MAY go away

but how DUMB is Vick anyway??

Well besides being a QB who can't throw, you're ASKING for it doing all this on your personal grounds like he was!

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I think this means the Falcons made the wrong choice when they had to choose between Vick and Jim Mora Jr. Who knows where Vick will be when the season starts.

FWIW, if Vick is guilty, I hope he is punished and not just given a slap on the wrist because a crime like this is just cruel.

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More bad news for Vick, Nike suspended the release of the latest Vick signature shoe.

But seriously what an idiot, the guy makes millions and he can't find anything better to do with his time than setup a dog fighting league.

Also what kind of people would actually want to watch this stuff? I highly doubt any of it is entertaining and I know they probably only did it so they could bet on it, but why not go bet on the UFC instead.

Edited by Satans Hockey
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he's pretty screwed in this scenario I gotta say... no big loss from an NFL perspective he was major overrated... but it looks bad that one of their hype boys is going down and HARD :P

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he's pretty screwed in this scenario I gotta say... no big loss from an NFL perspective he was major overrated... but it looks bad that one of their hype boys is going down and HARD :P

I never liked the guy..I mean, he can run really fast, but other than that, he makes a lot of bad errors when he has to make a choice for a play and....He doesn't have a good arm, But of course lets not forget with his Wide Reiceivers how bad they are :P

I prefer Tony Romo than Vick at this point :evil:

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I was looking on PETA's website last night and...I understand that cruelty of the allegations against Vick and with dogflighting...and I love dogs...but PETA looks like a bunch of FOOL$ here....this link proves once and for all...almost EVERYTHING is about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$:

Di$gu$ting

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