Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
LeShon Johnson, Ex-NFL Running Back, Ran Major Dogfighting Kennel, US Says
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 3 weeks ago on
March 27, 2025

Former NFL player LeShon Johnson faces federal charges for running a large dogfighting operation, risking significant prison time. (Shutterstock)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Federal authorities said this week that they had broken up a major dogfighting kennel in Oklahoma led by former National Football League running back LeShon Johnson, seizing 190 pit-bull-type dogs in what they described as the most ever taken from a single person in a federal case.

In a news release, the Justice Department said Tuesday that a 21-count indictment against Johnson, 54, had recently been unsealed in federal court in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was arrested March 20 and arraigned the same day before being released, according to court documents.

Johnson, who played for the Green Bay Packers, the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants in the 1990s, is facing felony charges of possessing and trafficking dogs for use in an animal fighting venture. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

Previously Pled Guilty to Dogfighting Charges in 2024

He previously pleaded guilty to state dogfighting charges in 2004 and received a five-year deferred sentence.

“The FBI will not tolerate criminals that harm innocent animals for their twisted form of entertainment,” Kash Patel, the FBI director, said in a statement. “The FBI views animal cruelty investigations as a precursor to larger, organized crime efforts, similar to trafficking and homicides.”

Courtney R. Jordan, a lawyer for Johnson, declined to comment Wednesday.

Investigators say Johnson “selectively bred ‘champion’ and ‘grand champion’ fighting dogs — dogs that have respectively won three or five fights” as part of his criminal enterprise, which was known as Mal Kant Kennels and was based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Haskell, Oklahoma.

He marketed and sold stud rights and offspring from winning fighting dogs to others involving in dog fighting, authorities said, promoting their bloodlines.

Federal prosecutors said they had obtained text messages, emails and money transfer app transactions that show that Johnson had profited from his dogfighting venture.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Neil Vigdor
c. 2025 The New York Times Company

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

DON'T MISS

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

DON'T MISS

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

DON'T MISS

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

DON'T MISS

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

DON'T MISS

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

DON'T MISS

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

DON'T MISS

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

UP NEXT

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

UP NEXT

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

UP NEXT

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

UP NEXT

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

UP NEXT

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

UP NEXT

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

UP NEXT

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

UP NEXT

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

UP NEXT

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

UP NEXT

Thousands Gather in London for Trans Rights Following UK Ruling Over Definition of Woman

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

2 hours ago

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

2 hours ago

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

19 hours ago

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

19 hours ago

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

19 hours ago

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

19 hours ago

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

20 hours ago

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

21 hours ago

Thousands Gather in London for Trans Rights Following UK Ruling Over Definition of Woman

22 hours ago

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

22 hours ago

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

EL SEGUNDO — In their first season together, Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh rebuilt the team enough ...

58 minutes ago

58 minutes ago

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

1 hour ago

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

1 hour ago

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

2 hours ago

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

2 hours ago

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

19 hours ago

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

19 hours ago

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

19 hours ago

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend