Breaking News: Vick will not admit to killing dogs or gambling

For those of you who are still going buy a story in the ACJ types 18 hours ago.

From ESPN - Michael Vick filed his plea agreement in federal court Friday admitting to conspiracy in a dogfighting ring and helping kill pit bulls. He denied ever betting on the fights, only bankrolling them.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to formally enter his plea Monday in U.S. District Court.

In the agreement, Vick agreed to plead guilty to the first count of the indictment against him -- that he was part of a conspiracy to operate a dogfighting ring across state lines. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years' probation.

"Most of the Bad Newz Kennels operation and gambling monies were provided by Vick," a summary of facts in the case said, echoing language in plea agreements by three co-defendants who previously pleaded guilty.


The statement said that when the kennel's dogs won, the gambling proceeds were generally shared by Vick's three co-defendants -- Tony Taylor, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips.


"Vick did not gamble by placing side bets on any of the fights. Vick did not receive any of the proceeds of the purses that were won by Bad Newz Kennels," the summary said.


According to the statement, Vick also was involved in killing six to eight dogs that did not perform well in test sessions last April. The dogs were executed by drowning or hanging.


"Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts'' of Vick and two of the co-defendants, Phillips and Peace, the statement says.

Both sides agreed that due to aggravating circumstances from the facts of the case -- namely, "the victimization and killing of pit bulls" -- that prosecutors would go above the federal sentencing guidelines for the charge, but would recommend a sentence at the low end of the scale following that adjustment -- a range of a year to 18 months. However, the judge is not bound by any recommendation or by the sentencing guidelines.


In the plea agreement, Vick agreed to enter the plea "because the defendant is in fact guilty of the charged offense" and cooperate with the government's investigation. He also knowingly agreed to waive his right to an appeal in exchange for concessions made by prosecutors.


U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, who will accept Vick's plea, has a reputation for imposing stiff sentences, according to lawyers who have appeared in his court. Vick will not be sentenced for several months.

The case began April 25 when investigators conducting a drug search at a massive home Vick built in Surry County found 66 dogs, some of them injured, and items typically used in dogfighting. They included a "rape stand" that holds aggressive dogs in place for mating and a "breakstick" used to pry open a dog's mouth.



Vick contended he knew nothing about a dogfighting operation at the home, where one of his cousins lived, and said he rarely visited. The former Virginia Tech star also blamed friends and family members for taking advantage of his generosity and pledged to be more scrupulous.



The July 17 indictment said dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or other brutal means. The grisly details fueled public protests against Vick and cost him some of his lucrative endorsement deals.

 

Roger Cossack on ESPN reported that in the plea agreement Vick admits to "participating in the execution of dogs."

 

I think that if he pleads guilty to gambling on the dogfighting, Vick gets banned for life. So, he pleads to the conspiracy charges and maybe has a chance to resurrect his career when he gets out of prison.

 

You know, they may not accept this plea either. If they have evidence of him gambling, they still might go to trial.

Vick must plea to everything he is guilty of doing. The courts have the right to reject it if they feel it is not an honest plea.

 

From the plea:

"[A]ll of those dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning. VICK agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of PEACE, PHILLIPS, and VICK."

 

From the summary of facts... not from the actual plea agreement.

The plea agreement, according to AJC is:

Vick is scheduled to plead guilty to a single conspiracy count on Monday in Richmond. The plea agreement says he crossed state lines to promote and manage an enterprise involving gambling, sponsored dogs in dogfights and bought and transported dogs across state lines to engage in animal fighting ventures. Vick signed his plea agreement on Thursday.

And if he admitted in the summary of facts to killing dogs (and I have no doubt he killed dogs) then the basis for this thread (an ESPN report, I believe) is wrong because it says he WILL NOT ADMIT TO KILLING DOGS.

 

He skates on that charge.

 

Those are all valid points, but here's the thing: no one cares. He is an admitted dog killer. The end.

 

Isn't all of this moot? If the plea agreement was already set, what does this face-saving effort change? Unless the prison time guidelines, which seem to be somewhere between 12 and 18 months, involved gambling/killing dogs -- and spirited has made it abundantly clear that is apparently not the case -- I don't see what this affects. If the conspiracy charges or whatever carry the 12-18 month sentencing, that's what he'll get... and is what everyone was under the assumption he was going to get once the he agreed to the plea.

And as for his NFL future, this doesn't change much. Goodell can still suspend Vick for gambling and killing dogs based on the co-defendants accounts... he doesn't need to prove anything legally.

 

The end, indeed, puppies.
As long as he goes to prison and gets a lifetime ban from Goodell, all's good.

And I'm going back to the baseball thread. It's much simpler.

 

What a shock that I love puppies! is going to town on a Vick thread.