From CNN.com:
RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) -- Two co-defendants of Michael Vick say the NFL star helped execute dogs that didn't fight well, according to federal court documents.
NFL star Michael Vick after a court appearance last month.
The court papers, filed as Quanis Phillips, 28, and Purnell Peace, 35, pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges Friday, said all three men "executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in testing sessions" in April of this year by methods such as hanging and drowning.
Peace, of Virginia Beach, and Phillips, of Atlanta, said the money behind the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting operation, based on property Vick owns in Virginia, came "almost exclusively" from the Atlanta Falcons star.
Federal prosecutors had given Vick until 9 a.m. ET Friday to accept a plea deal that would require him to spend at least one year in prison on federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, reports say, but there was no immediate word on what he decided.
Vick's acceptance of the recommendation, described by The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia, must receive court approval.
If the 27-year-old Vick rejects the deal, he will face an additional charge under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO, a source with knowledge of the investigation told the newspaper.
According to the source, who requested anonymity, conviction under that charge would be punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The new charge would be considered by a grand jury that convenes Monday.
Federal judges rely largely on congressional guidelines for sentencing.
Peace and Phillips face sentencing hearings on November 30.
Let's just hope he doesn't take the deal and then spends 20 years behind bars.
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5 comments:
If he participated in executing dogs (as it looks) in addition to the other charges, the piece of scum should spend the 20 yrs. How can someone who has everything waste time and effort destroying life? He should get another 10 yrs for stupidity.
From what I understand, part of the "deal" is doing public service announcements. To be quite honest, I'd rather see him do that and possibly reach people who aren't going to listen to animal welfare representatives than see him only serve a short part of a huge jail sentence and go back to his business (lets be honest, no celebrity will ever serve all of their time).
You're absolutely right Linda that no celebrity will ever serve all of their time. But I don't think public service announcements are going to do the trick either. Being a "thug" is just way too glamorous anymore. He is a hero to the thugs on the outside, and he will be a hero to the thugs on the inside as well.
I am of the old school--let the punishment fit the crime. As Immanuel Kant says in The Metaphysical Elements of Justice, "Judicial punishment can never be used merely as a means to promote some other good for the criminal himself or for civil society, but instead it must in all cases be imposed on him only on the ground that he has committed a crime."
The world has gone insane. How many dogs are put down at "humane societies" every year? Thousands? Millions? Does anyone care?
So why is it so bad to fight these dogs? Have you ever seen a dog fight? I don't mean anything organized, just a plain old back alley dog fight. I have. Many male dogs love it. SO WHAT if making a sport of it is a little cruel. They're just DOGS.
This country has gone soft....in the head.
Re,
I agree with you 100%
Great Picture
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