A Louisiana man was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to sponsor, exhibit, possess and transport animals in an interstate animal fighting venture, and to possessing an animal in such a venture, all in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
Antonio Damon Atkins, 35, of Baton Rouge, is the final of seven total defendants to be sentenced for participating in an interstate dogfighting ring. Atkins previously pleaded guilty. An Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation originally uncovered the ring.
Six of the defendants have already been sentenced, receiving the following for their dogfighting convictions:
- Eric “EZ” Williams, Baton Rouge: 60 months in prison
- Corey Brown, Baton Rouge: 50 months in prison
- Clay Turner, Loranger, Louisiana: 36 months in prison
- Dangelo Dontae Cornish, Greensburg, Louisiana: 16 months in prison
- Aquintas Kantrell Singleton, Baton Rouge: 12 months and a day in prison
- David Guidry III, of Independence, Louisiana: 12 months and a day in prison
“Today’s sentencing is the final chapter of a grim conspiracy to train and kill dogs for sadistic sport,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We commend the investigators and prosecutors who worked on this case and brought these individuals to justice.”
“With the sentencing of Antonio Atkins today, the culmination of hard work and prosecution of seven defendants has been successfully completed,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe Jr. for the Middle District of Louisiana. “The question becomes: would this case have been discovered if not for an OCDETF lead? This is the true power of the federal government as we see all our agency partners working collectively to send a message that it is not worth violating the Animal Welfare Act. I commend these agencies, along with my office, in working together to achieve justice.”
“Mr. Atkins and the other defendants in this case are faring much better than the dozens of animals they tortured and killed,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “The FBI thanks its partners for their help in dismantling this vicious operation.”
“The cruel and inhumane practice of animal fighting has no place in a civilized society and is a clear violation of federal law,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew T. Wilkins of the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG). “The outstanding work of our law enforcement partners and USDA-OIG agents who investigated this case made it possible to bring these operators of a major animal fighting venture to justice. This agency has made animal fighting a high priority to demonstrate that these vicious acts of cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.”
The FBI and USDA-OIG investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Evans for the District of Minnesota, formerly of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section, prosecuted the case along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton III and Jeremy Johnson for the Middle District of Louisiana.