From the Richmond Times Dispatch

Vick charged in dogfighting

Former Virginia Tech star, three others could each get six years on federal count

By TOM CAMPBELL

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

A federal grand jury in Richmond yesterday ended the suspense by indicting NFL quarterback Michael Vick and three men alleged to be his dogfighting associates.

In an on-again, off-again investigation that started in April, the grand jury handed up a one-count indictment that could mean up to six years in prison for each man charged.

The defendants are: Vick, 27, of Atlanta, where he plays for the Falcons; Purnell A. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach; Quanis L. Phillips, 28, of Atlanta; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton.

Vick, a Newport News native and former Virginia Tech star, might also face penalties from the NFL. In recent months, Commissioner Roger Goodell has put a new emphasis on discipline, suspending three players who faced a variety of legal charges. Most notably, Goodell banned Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for the entire 2007 season.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said: "We are disappointed that Michael Vick has put himself in a position where a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against him."

"The activities alleged are cruel, degrading and illegal," McCarthy said. "Michael Vick's guilt has not yet been proven, and we believe that all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts."

Efforts to reach Vick and his agent for comment were unsuccessful.

The Falcons called the indictment troubling and apologized to the team's fans, but said the legal process would be allowed to unfold.

Each of the defendants faces a federal charge of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce for unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture.

If convicted on the interstate-commerce portion of the charge, each defendant faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted on the dogfighting portion, each faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The indictment gives Vick's nickname as "Ookie," Peace's as "P-funk" or "Funk," Phillips' as "Q" and Taylor's as "T."

The indictment accuses the men of a conspiracy, starting in 2001, to form Bad Newz Kennels -- a dogfighting venture that authorities say operated at Vick's property in Surry County at 1915 Moonlight Road until this past spring.

The indictment alleges, among other things:

Vick purchased the property in June 2001 after Taylor had picked it out as suitable for development into a dogfighting training and fight-hosting complex. (The purchase came two months after Vick was the first pick in the NFL draft after two seasons at Virginia Tech.) That year, the four men started acquiring American pit bulls for fighting from Virginia and other states.

By the spring of 2002, Bad Newz Kennels was taking part in arranged dogfights in North Carolina. In late 2002, Bad Newz hosted a dogfight at Vick's property with a purse of $2,000.

Through 2003, Bad Newz dogs and the defendants took part in about eight organized fights, some sponsored at 1915 Moonlight Road and some in other states. Purses ranged from a couple of thousand dollars to $26,000 for one match. In 2004 and 2005, Bad Newz hosted approximately 10 fights at the Vick property.

Over the years, it was the Bad Newz' custom to kill young dogs that did not show fighting aptitude and sufficient aggressiveness when they were tested in matches with other dogs.

In April this year, Vick, Peace, Phillips and two others tested dogs this way. When it was over, Vick, Peace and Phillips killed about eight dogs that failed the test by methods including hanging, drowning and slamming the dog's body to the ground.

The investigation into possible dogfighting at the Surry County property started April 24 when Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, was arrested in Hampton on drug charges. He gave his address as 1915 Moonlight Road in Surry.

The next day, police searched the property under a warrant to look for drugs and paraphernalia. They found what looked like a dogfighting complex and called animal-control officers. Under another warrant, more than 60 dogs and evidence of dogfighting were seized.

Vick early on denied any involvement in dogfighting. He said Boddie lived at the Moonlight Road house and that he had seldom visited.

John M. Seward, chairman of the Surry Board of Supervisors, said he doesn't believe the indictments reflect poorly on the county.

"This is not something that's exclusive to Surry," he said of dogfighting. "I hope they go ahead and prosecute whoever's responsible."

But Seward said that the federal case could cast Surry law-enforcement authorities in a bad light for not bringing charges. "The local authorities, it would appear, didn't want to charge anyone or they would have. They certainly had time," he said.

Neither Surry Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter or Sheriff Harold D. Brown could be reached for comment last night.

While experts say the volume of dogfighting activity is hard to quantify because of its illegal, secretive nature, it appears to be on the rise nationally and in Virginia.

"It's clear there has been a growth in dogfighting in our communities," John P. Goodwin, deputy manager of animal-fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States, told The Times-Dispatch recently.
Contact Tom Campbell at (804) 649-6416 or tcampbell@timesdispatch.com.

Staff writer Kiran Krishnamurthy contributed to this report.