Bad Newz Kennels codefendant pleads guilty in Vick dogfighting case   Thursday, October 25th, 2007

    
Meanwhile, Michael Vick's Atlanta home has just been put up for sale at $4.5 million.

Um, "Bad Newz Kennels?"  If that's not self-explanatory, what is?  Oscar Allen, 67, pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal dogfighting charge stemming from selling a champion pit bull to suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennels operation.

Allen's plea is for conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce to aid in illegal gambling, and sponsoring a dog in animal fighting.  These are the same charges that Vick and his three other codefendants are facing; Vick will be sentenced in December, Allen in January.

He sold a female pit bull named Jane to Bad Newz Kennels in 2001, traveled with Vick's associate's to Jane's fights, and advised Vick and the others on managing and caring for the fighting dogs.  He even admitted to helping Vick pit the dogs against each other to narrow down which pit bulls were good fighters.  He did not, he told prosecutors, assist in the killing of any of the dogs that failed to perform well.

He's facing a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000, and three years of supervised release.  Although U.S. Attorney Michael Gill recommended to the court that Allen receive no prison time in compliance with the plea agreement, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson will not be bound by the recommendation, and can still rule for time behind bars for the new codefendant.

Other co-defendants are Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips, and Tony Taylor.

   

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