Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Hudson, Mike Thompson |
Dog-fighting - 5 indicted on federal charges
East Saint Louis, IL (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 8, 2009
County: Saint Clair
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» William Berry
» Derrick Courtland - Convicted
» John Bacon
» Julius Jackson
» Joseph Addison - Convicted
» James Milburn, III - Convicted
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A. Courtney Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on July 7, 2009, William Berry, 34, of Lebanon, Ill.; Derrick Courtland, 42, of Cahokia, Ill.; and John Bacon, 36, Julius Jackson, 40, Joseph Addison, 40, all of East St. Louis, Ill., were charged in a criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit unlawful activities of dog fighting.
The violation is alleged to have taken place between Nov. 18, 2008, and April 18, 2009, in St. Clair and Madison Counties of Illinois. The offense charged carries a potential maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
The defendants were taken into custody and made an appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in East St. Louis on July 8, 2009. Preliminary hearings have been scheduled for Aug. 5, 2009, in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.
A criminal complaint is only a statement of a charge brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Every defendant has a right to be charged by an indictment returned by a grand jury. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent of all charges unless and until he is found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In addition to the charges unsealed today in the Southern District of Illinois, related charges were also filed in separate cases arising from the same investigation in the Eastern District of Missouri, the Western District of Missouri and the Eastern District of Texas. Those indictments were also unsealed today following the arrests of defendants in those districts.
Evidence supporting this criminal complaint was gathered in an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Humane Society of Missouri. This dog fighting investigation is the latest in a series of major animal fighting investigations conducted throughout the country since the passage of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, signed into law in May 2007, which makes it a felony to participate in the blood sport. The case is assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Hudson and Mike Thompson for prosecution.
Case UpdatesSentencing will be in March for three Illinoisans swept up in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history.
Derrick Courtland of Cahokia, Joseph Addison of East St. Louis and James Milburn III of Prairie du Rocher (doo ROH'-sher) pleaded guilty Thursday in East St. Louis federal court to conspiring to take part in dogfighting.
The three were among more than two dozen people arrested in Illinois, Missouri and several other states in a series of July raids in which hundreds of dogs were seized.
Two other Illinoisans were scheduled to plead guilty Friday, with the remaining two in the seven-person Illinois indictment scheduled for trial Nov. 30. | Source: Chicago Tribune - Nov 20, 2009
Update posted on Nov 20, 2009 - 12:29PM |
According to the charges, the 5 defendants organized dog fights in East St. Louis and Washington Park, charging spectators $20 apiece for admission.
About 40 spectators were on hand for one fight. Some dogs came from other states, and were trained to fight. Court documents indicate that the two dog owners in one fight wagered $2,000.
Special Agent Carole Schmitt of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspector general's office stated in court fiings that "as part of the conspiracy, the defendants and their co-conspirators did provide funding for expenses associated with the ongoing animal fighting venture, including training materials, dog food, medicine, travel expenses, and purse fees for dog fighting competitions."
Addison and Jackson are identified in the charges as co-owners of Back Street Truez kennel.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. | Source: bnd.com - Jul 8, 2009
Update posted on Jul 8, 2009 - 9:18PM |
References
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