Federal prosecutors have charged LeShon Johnson—a former All-American running back at Northern Illinois in 1993 and five-year NFL veteran—with operating a large-scale dogfighting operation in his home state of Oklahoma.
The 54-year-old was indicted Tuesday for violating the Animal Welfare Act. According to the Justice Department, authorities confiscated 190 dogs from Johnson’s property, marking what is believed to be the largest single-person dog seizure in a federal dogfighting case.
“LeShon Johnson carries the ball
Animal abuse is cruel, depraved, and deserves severe punishment,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a DOJ statement. “We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law and continue working to protect vulnerable animals from abuse.”
Johnson had previously pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges in the early 2000s and received a suspended sentence in 2005.
A native of Haskell, Oklahoma, Johnson placed sixth in the 1993 Heisman Trophy race and went on to play in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Giants.
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