ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A Riverview man was sentenced Friday to 18 months in federal prison for hosting illegal dogfights in his home and training dogs for fighting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced.
Terrell Williams, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk and will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. He pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of dogfighting, a crime punishable by up to five years.
Prosecutors said Williams hosted dogfights in the basement of his residence on two occasions in July and August 2021. Between September 2020 and May 2022, he bred and owned multiple bull terriers or terrier mixes that were used in fights.
Federal agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at Williams’ home on June 22, 2022, and recovered eight bull terrier mixes, three Yorkshire terriers, and training equipment. The dogs displayed signs of aggression, fear, and scarring consistent with dogfighting injuries, according to Williams’ plea agreement.
Williams agreed to forfeit the seized animals and all dogfighting-related equipment as part of his sentence.
The case followed a federal investigation into illegal animal fighting operations in the St. Louis area.
