Former NFL Running Back Arrested In Largest Individual Dog Fighting Bust Ever: Feds

Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday the arrest of former NFL running back LeShon Eugene Johnson over his alleged involvement in breeding pit bulls for illegal dog fights.

The 21-count indictment was unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma after the FBI rescued 190 pit bulls who were in his possession for “selling, transporting, and delivering … for use in an animal fighting venture,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

“Animal abuse is cruel, depraved, and deserves severe punishment,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law and will remain committed to protecting innocent animals from those who would do them harm.”

The dogs were seized under the Animal Welfare Act in October in what prosecutors said was “the largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case,” according to a press release from the Office of Public Affairs.

Johnson, 54, allegedly bred champion fighting pit bulls out of a new kennel that he operated to others involved in the illicit industry who were looking to boost their own operations.

The DOJ noted that Johnson previously ran a dog kennel out of Oklahoma that led to similar state-level charges in 2004, which he pled guilty to.

Johnson played six years in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals, TMZ reported.

FBI Director Kash Patel said that the Bureau would “not tolerate criminals that harm innocent animals for their twisted form of entertainment.”

“The FBI views animal cruelty investigations as a precursor to larger, organized crime efforts, similar to trafficking and homicides,” he said. “This is yet another push in the FBI’s crackdown of violent offenders harming our most innocent.”

If convicted, Johnson faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count he was charged with.