Former NFL player convicted of trafficking dogs for fighting ventures

A former NFL player from Oklahoma has been convicted in what authorities say is the largest federal dog fighting case ever prosecuted, involving the seizure of 190 dogs.

Leshon Eugene Johnson, 54, of Broken Arrow, was found guilty last week on six felony counts of violating the Animal Welfare Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Johnson, who briefly played as a running back for the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals in the 1990s, operated an illegal dog fighting business under the name “Mal Kant Kennels.”

Prosecutors said he bred and sold “champion” and “grand champion” fighting dogs and trafficked them across state lines for fighting ventures.

The 190 dogs were seized from Johnson’s property and are currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service as the government pursues formal forfeiture. Officials said it marks the largest number of dogs ever recovered from a single individual in a federal case of this kind.

Johnson has a prior dog fighting conviction from 2004 and now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the six federal counts. Sentencing will be scheduled at a unannounced date.

“This criminal profited off of the misery of innocent animals and he will face severe consequences for his vile crimes,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.