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Convicted Dog-Fighter, Co-Defendants, Sentenced to Federal Prison for Violations of the Animal Welfare Act

Publication date: 
Monday, September 27, 2021

ALBANY, Ga. – The last four of 12 defendants convicted on federal dog fighting charges were sentenced to federal prison on Friday.

Leslie Meyers aka Les, 45, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to serve a total of 123 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person with a prior felony conviction. Kizzy Solomon aka Kizzy Andrews, 44, of Camilla, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison after a federal jury convicted her on Tuesday, June 22, of 15-counts of aiding and abetting the possession and training of dogs for purposes of an animal fighting venture. Orlando Johnson aka OJ and Juiceman, 35, of Americus, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act. Kevin Charles aka Trinidad, 45, of Jackson, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act.

The following co-defendants were sentenced to prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act:

Kentre Gibson aka Gipp, 40, of Douglas, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release on July 21;

Terry Driggers, 71, of Hoboken, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 17 months in prison to be followed by two years of probation on July 22;

Maurice Glover, 48, of Douglas, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release on July 22;

Starlin Morgan, 39, of Plains, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 11 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release on July 21; and,

Timothy White, 51, of Patterson, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 11 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release on July 21.

The following co-defendants were sentenced after pleading guilty to attending an animal fighting venture (misdemeanor):

Germany Brockington aka Rat and Gator, 34, of Ambrose, Georgia, was sentenced to serve seven months in prison consecutive to his current prison sentence on Aug. 17;

Alonza Jordan, 48, of Americus, Georgia was sentenced to serve three months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release on July 21; and,

Shadon Johnson, 37, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, was sentenced to serve two years of probation on July 21.

U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner presided over the sentencing hearings. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, this case was based largely on a “two-card” dog fight in Sumter County, Georgia, that was disrupted by law enforcement while in progress on Jan. 21, 2017. According to court documents, Defendant Meyers traveled to the event from Florida with a dog, which he pitted in a fight against a dog handled by Defendant White. Meyers was in illegal possession of a pistol at the time of the fight.

Meyers’s dog was declared the winner of the dog fight but refused to complete a “courtesy scratch” – a macabre dog fighting ritual in which a dog who has already won is taken back to a corner of the ring and released one final time to attack the losing dog (or its dead body). The dog’s continuing “gameness” or willingness to attack garners extra prestige for the handler. After Meyers’s dog refused to complete the courtesy scratch, Meyers suffocated the dog to death by hanging him from a tree branch. Law enforcement found this dog’s body under the bumper of Meyers’s car. Authorities also came upon two other live dogs in the middle of a fight, one of which had extensive injuries and had to be euthanized. After most participants fled the scene, agents recovered several firearms and approximately $18,000 in U.S. currency.

Search warrants executed later at the residences of some of the defendants revealed dozens of pit bull-type dogs housed in conditions consistent with dog fighting. Many of these dogs were emaciated and/or had scarring or injuries. Authorities also seized dog fighting equipment, including injectable veterinary steroids and a dog treadmill on which various dogs’ fighting histories, including whether they had perished during dog fights, was printed.

“Dog-fighting is vicious and illegal; it is also a breeding ground for other dangerous criminal activity that undermines the safety of our communities. Our office will not tolerate dog-fighting; we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable with federal prosecution,” said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

“The injuries that dogs suffer in fights are horrible enough, but this case shows how the cruelty of the dog fighting industry goes far beyond the fighting pit,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We will continue to vigorously prosecute those who engage in these crimes.”

“The cruelty exhibited by these individuals has left a stain on the human psyche of our civilization,” said Jason Williams, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General. “This collaborative effort with our local and federal partners demonstrates that wherever you are, you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and Decatur County Animal Control.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Crane and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy prosecuted the case.

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USAO - Georgia, Middle;
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Department of Agriculture OIG