Michael Vick - NFL Football Star Pleads Guilty to Charges in Dog-Fighting Case
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 27, 2007 — Michael Vick formally accepted a plea agreement from the federal government today at the United States District Court here, pleading guilty to a felony charge stemming from a dog fighting ring run from a property he owned.
On Friday the star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons was suspended indefinitely without pay by the National Football League hours after the plea agreement was filed here.
Within the statement of facts, which accompanied the agreement, Vick admitted to funding the dog fighting operation and the gambling associated with it and to being complicit in the killing of at least six dogs that underperformed.
“I was ashamed and totally disappointed in myself, to say the least,” Vick said at a press conference at the Omni hotel here after the hearing. He added: “Dog fighting is a terrible thing. I reject it.”
Vick, 27, faces up to five years in prison on the charges of conspiring to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal-fighting venture. The United States attorney’s office will recommend a lighter sentence, between a year to 18 months, as long as Vick continues to cooperate with authorities. Although the government can argue for a lighter sentence, United States District Judge Henry E. Hudson, who is overseeing the case, is not bound by its recommendation, and Vick cannot appeal his decision.
“We hope Judge Hudson will see the real Mike Vick,” Vick’s lawyer, Billy Martin, said to reporters after the hearing. “What you have seen is an aberration and we think Judge Hudson will get it right when he sentences him.”
Sentencing, Hudson said today, is scheduled for Dec. 10.
In the plea agreement Vick said he would cooperate with the federal government’s investigations regarding any criminal activity. This includes testifying in front of grand juries, on behalf of the government at trial and even taking a lie detector test.
In the statement of facts, Vick said that he agreed to the killing of “approximately 6 to 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions,” adding that “all the dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning.”
“I will redeem myself,” Vick said. “I have to.”
Vick said that he did not place side bets on any of the fights and did not share in the purses that were won by Bad Newz Kennels, but that he funded the betting and was present when his co-defendants placed bets.
In a written statement, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Chuck Rosenberg, said that although a first time offender would have avoided jail time under the sentencing guidelines, the government saw the behavior of Vick and two of his co-defendants as “heinous, cruel, and inhumane,” and thought they should face more time behind bars.
The government required two of Vick’s co-defendants, Purnell A. Peace, and Quanis L. Phillips, 28, who both pleaded guilty on Aug. 17, and Vick to accept an additional provision in the plea agreement that they “indeed understated the severity of their conduct and that a sentence substantially above what would otherwise be called for by the guidelines would be appropriate.”
“The parties thus agreed to recommend to the judge that the advisory sentencing range for these three defendants (assuming no prior criminal record) should be 12 to 18 months in prison, rather than zero to six months in prison,” Rosenberg said. Tony Taylor, the other co-defendant, was the first to accept a plea agreement from the government and is not likely to face any prison time.
N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell told Vick in a letter on Friday that his actions were “cruel and reprehensible” and that Vick’s involvement in gambling was a violation of the N.F.L.’s personal conduct policy.
“Even if you personally did not place bets, as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your N.F.L. Player Contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an N.F.L. player,” Goodell’s letter said.
Vick said today: “I want to personally apologize to Commissioner Goodell, Arthur Blank, Coach Bobby Petrino, and my Atlanta Falcons teammates, for I was not honest and forthright in our discussions.”
He also said: “What I did was very immature. That means I need to grow up.”
Goodell said that he would review the suspension after legal proceedings were concluded. He said that in reviewing the suspension, he would take into consideration the possibility of new charges; Vick’s conduct; his sentence, and how much Vick cooperated with the league and the law enforcement officials.
Goodell could decide to reinstate Vick after his incarceration ends, or the suspension could continue indefinitely. But if Vick serves a year in prison he would not be eligible to play again until 2009, at the earliest. Vick would be 29 years old.
Even if he is reinstated and is available for the 2009 season, he would not have played for two seasons, and would have surely lost some of his speed — his best weapon — likely making him unattractive to all but the most risk-taking teams.
The suspension frees the Atlanta Falcons to pursue, before an arbitrator, a portion of Vick’s signing bonus because he is now in default of his contract. The Falcons could also decide to release the player who, only four months ago, was the face of the franchise.
It has become clear since then that Vick lied to Goodell and to Falcons owner Arthur Blank when they asked him in April about his involvement in dog fighting. Blank has indicated that he feels personally betrayed by a player he had once felt close to and on whom he had lavished a 10-year, $130 million contract in 2004.
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Michael Vick -
Surrenders before formal sentencing
Nov. 19, 2007
RICHMOND, Va. - Michael Vick surrendered to U.S. marshals Monday and will remain in jail until his sentencing on a dogfighting charge in three weeks. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 10 on the federal dogfighting conspiracy charge, but turned himself in because he was anticipating a prison term, according to a court document.
Vick could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
"From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions, and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance," Billy Martin, one of Vick's lawyers, said in a statement. "Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter, and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time."
Vick is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw until his sentencing, U.S. marshals told The Associated Press. The mixed-gender facility houses about 450 inmates.
The order filed in U.S. District Court said "Vick has indicated his desire to voluntarily enter custody prior to his sentencing hearing. It appearing appropriate to do so, the U.S. Marshal is ordered to take custody of the Defendant immediately upon his surrender."
The order added that Vick was taken into custody "based solely on his desire to begin his period of incarceration prior to his sentencing hearing and not because of violation of any condition of his bond."
In an e-mail sent to the AP, the U.S. attorney's office confirmed Vick's surrender but declined further comment.
Vick's decision to begin serving time before sentencing was approved by the judge and Vick's lawyers.
The federal dogfighting case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick's cousin raided the property Vick owns in Surry County and seized dozens of dogs, most of them pit bulls, and equipment associated with dogfighting.
It's there that the dogfighting enterprise known as Bad Newz Kennels operated since 2001 on 15 acres of land Vick owned.
Vick initially denied any knowledge of the enterprise, then pledged after he was charged that he would fight to clear his name. After his three co-defendants pleaded guilty, Vick followed suit.
The gruesome details outlined in the federal indictment — dogs were hanged, drowned and electrocuted — fueled a public backlash against the Falcons star and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty to the dogfighting conspiracy charge.
In his written plea, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings, but merely associating with gambling can result in a lifetime ban under the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Vick and his co-defendants also face state felony dogfighting charges. Vick has been charged with two state felony counts — beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each felony is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Suspended indefinitely by the NFL without pay, Vick was unable to stay out of trouble. He tested positive in September for marijuana, a violation of U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson's order that he stay clean in exchange for being allowed to be free.
After that positive test, Hudson ordered Vick confined to his home address between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., with electronic monitoring and random drug testing.
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Michael Vick sentenced to 23 months
in prison for dog fighting
12/10/07
RICHMOND, Va. - Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls.
The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick was dressed in a black-and-white striped prison suit and apologized to the court and his family.
Hudson responded, "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you."
"Yes, sir," Vick said.
Vick acknowledged he used "poor judgment" and added, "I'm willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions."
Before the hearing started, Michael Vick's brother, Marcus Vick, sat with his right arm around their mother, comforting her as she buried her head in her hands and wept.
Vick pleaded guilty in August, admitting he bankrolled the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting operation and helped kill six to eight dogs.
In a plea agreement, he admitted bankrolling the dogfighting ring on his 15-acre property in rural southeastern Virginia and helping kill pit bulls that did not perform well in test fights. He also admitted providing money for bets on the fights but said he never shared in any winnings.
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Michael Vick enters drug program
Rehab, move to Kansas may cut prison time
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- 01/08/08
Suspended Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for his guilty plea on charges related to dogfighting, plans to enter a drug treatment program that could reduce his time behind bars.
"Mr. Vick has been transferred from the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons minimum security facility in Leavenworth, Kan.," his attorneys, Billy Martin and Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., said in a jointly issued statement Monday. "Mr. Vick hopes to participate in programs offered at that facility, including the Bureau of Prisons drug treatment program."
case, is eligible for a federal drug treatment program known as the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Inmates are involved in intensive treatment that lasts six to 12 months, with a minimum of 500 hours of treatment.
Upon completion of the program, the inmate's eligibility for early release based on previous criminal
convictions is determined. Vick did not have any previous convictions before his dogfighting case.
The RDAP accepts inmates, and they are eligible for early release even if they have not been convicted of drug-related offenses provided they meet a series of qualifications. Vick meets those requirements.
Animal rights activists were not happy that Vick may not serve his entire 23-month sentence.
"The drugs were completely irrelevant to the actual crime here," said John Goodwin, the Humane Society's deputy manager of animal fighting issues. "If this was drug rehab or a narcotics-related event, that's another thing, but the issue of killing these dogs is an entirely different matter."
According to Criminal Justice magazine, which is published by the American
Bar Association, the program is known as the 500-hour Comprehensive RDAP. Some qualified offenders
will be eligible for an early release benefit of up to 12
months. The Bureau of Prisons average is 8.5 months, usually coupled with an extended halfway house stay or home confinement.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Monday that Vick had been transferred to Leavenworth, but would not confirm that Vick would be entered into the drug program. Vick was moved from Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Va., where he has been since reporting to prison before being sentenced Dec. 10.
For now, Vick's prison number is 33765-183, and his projected release date is July 2009, which would be the full 23-month sentence.
An 8.5-month reduction on top of a possible reduction of 15 percent for good conduct means Vick could be released before the end of 2008. He faces an April 2 trial date in Virginia on state dogfighting charges.
An early prison release would allow Vick to apply sooner for reinstatement to the NFL. He is suspended indefinitely but is still on the Falcons' roster. A suspension by the NFL for the conviction and failed drug test is possible.
The Falcons refused to comment. They have attempted to distance themselves from the fallen quarterback, but because of severe salary cap ramifications have kept him on the roster. The team has sought to recover almost $20 million in salary and bonuses from Vick. The grievance is under review by Judge David Doty in Minneapolis.
From the outset, Martin has stated his goal was to get Vick back to his NFL career as soon as possible. Successful completion of the treatment program would give him a better chance of returning to the NFL in 2009 after missing two seasons.
"Mr. Vick looks forward to being reunited with his family upon completion of his sentence," Martin and Woodward said in the statement. "He is hopeful that following his release, he will have the opportunity to resume his career as a professional football player."
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