Ex-NFL RB LeShon Johnson sentenced to 5 years for dog fighting

A former NFL running back was sentenced to five years in federal prison Thursday for operating a large-scale dog-fighting ring in Oklahoma that "resulted in death and serious bodily injury" to hundreds of pit bulls, according to a Department of Justice release. LeShon Johnson, who played for three NFL teams from 1994 to 1999, was convicted of six felonies last August in an Oklahoma federal court: three counts of possessing a dog for use in an animal fighting venture, two counts of selling a dog for use in an animal fighting venture, and one count of sale, transport and delivery of a dog for use in an animal fighting venture. In addition to the prison sentence, Johnson will have three years of supervised release and must pay a $30,000 fine. Johnson, 55, surrendered 190 dogs to the government after his conviction. The DOJ said in a news release that is the largest amount of dogs seized from one individual in a federal dog fighting case. Johnson bred and trafficked pit bulls operating as "Mal Kant Kennels" in Oklahoma since at least 2007 and bred "champion and grand champion" pit bulls to create offspring with fighting traits. A champion fighting dog typically is a dog that won three fights and a grand champion is a dog that won five fights. Prosecutors said in a 2025 press release announcing the indictment that Johnson "marketed and sold stud rights and offspring from winning fighting dogs to other dog fighters looking to incorporate the Mal Kant Kennels 'bloodline' into their own dog fighting operations." In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty in state court on dog fighting charges and received a five-year deferred sentence, according to Oklahoma court records. "LeShon Johnson will face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dog fighting scheme," associate attorney general Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said in a statement Thursday. "As Johnson was well aware, dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states. To anyone attempting to build violent and illicit business schemes: you can run, but you can't hide from the Department of Justice." Johnson could have received a maximum of five years in prison per count. Federal prosecutors asked the court for a 10-year sentence based on United States sentencing guidelines and other factors. Johnson's attorney, Billy Coyle IV, told ESPN on Thursday after Johnson's sentencing that he had asked for probation for his client. In a pre-sentence memorandum, Coyle argued Johnson had "zero criminal history points" (which doesn't take into account old cases) and because he is a "medically compromised human being" suffering from severe dementia and Parkinson's disease. It also claimed Johnson suffered "multiple concussions and traumatic brain injuries from his football career." He has had a daily caretaker for the last two years, according to the court documents. Coyle said he was not using that as a reason for Johnson to not accept responsibility. "The main point was just to show the court that he'd been out on bond for pretrial release for over two years," Coyle said. "He's got no infractions whatsoever. He doesn't drink. He doesn't smoke. I don't think the necessity of sending him to prison or jail was necessary." Coyle told ESPN he was surprised by the length of Johnson's sentence. He said he would recommend to Johnson that he should appeal the sentencing, but that a final decision has not been made. Prosecutors argued in response that Johnson "exercised leadership authority" over at least one other person as part of its sentencing request. The prosecutors also argued that the death and injury to hundreds of dogs would disqualify him from a reduced sentence. Johnson played for three NFL teams: the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants before finishing his career in the XFL. He played college football at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and then Northern Illinois, where he was a unanimous All-American in 1993 and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.