Fourteen people have been convicted for their roles in a dogfighting ring based in South Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced late last week.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia accepted the guilty pleas from the defendants, including eight from Georgia. Each person faces up to five years in federal prison, according to prosecutors.
The conviction comes a month after a Paulding County man was sentenced to 475 years in prison after being convicted of 93 counts of dogfighting and 10 counts of cruelty to animals, the district attorney said. The sentence is believed to be the toughest ever for dogfighting, according to Jessica Rock, Georgia’s statewide animal crimes prosecutor.
In the federal case, the dogfighters brought 24 pit bull-type dogs to Donalsonville — about 170 miles southwest of Macon — for a weekend event in April 2022. But law enforcement officers disrupted the event and found dogs inside crates in cars, prosecutors said.
“The participants used their cars to store dogs who had already been fought, as well as those whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the fighting pit,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Some dogs were kept on chains on the property.”
A total of 27 dogs were rescued, but one died from severe injuries after a fight, investigators said. The dogs found in cars had recent injuries and scars from previous fights.
“Under federal law, it is illegal not only to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce, but also to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The 14 defendants pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The defendants were:
- Tamichael Elijah, 48, of Donalsonville, Georgia
- Marvin Pulley, III, 53, of Donalsonville and Jakin, Georgia
- Brandon Baker, 42, of Panama City, Florida
- Christopher Travis Beaumont, 38, of Panama City, Florida
- Herman Buggs, Jr., 57, of Donalsonville, Georgia
- Terrance Davis, 46, of Pansey, Alabama
- Timothy Freeman, 27, of Bainbridge, Georgia
- Terelle Ganzy, 35, of Panama City, Florida
- Gary Hopkins, 67, of Donalsonville, Georgia
- Cornelious Johnson, 40, of Panama City, Florida
- Rodrecus Kimble, 44, of Donalsonville, Georgia
- Donnametric Miller, 42, of Donalsonville, Georgia
- Willie Russell, 43, of Blakely, Georgia
- Fredricus White, 36, of Panama City, Florida
Thirteen defendants pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to violate the animal fighting prohibition of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Six also pleaded guilty to possessing and transporting a dog for purposes of using the dog in an animal fighting venture. Two pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a firearm by a person with a prior felony conviction. And one pleaded guilty to spectating at an animal fight.
Sentencing has not yet been held for those convicted. They face $250,000 fines per count of animal fighting charges, the U.S. attorney said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Florida and Middle District of Alabama assisted Georgia investigators with the dog rescue operation.
Georgia’s animal crimes prosecutor Jessica Rock, who was not involved in this federal case, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that dogfighting is often linked to other violence.
“Animal crimes don’t exist by themselves,” Rock said. “These crimes are linked to human violence, such as domestic violence and child abuse. Even though animal abuse itself is a crime and is serious, it’s never just about the animal.”
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