A man from Baton Rouge, La., was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison this week for his role in an interstate dog fighting ring.
When law enforcement searched the home of 35-year-old Aquintas Kantrell Singleton in October 2017, they found 17 pit bull type dogs.
Most of the dogs had scars or fresh wounds consistent with dogfighting, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Singleton pleaded guilty to an Animal Welfare Act crime for involving these dogs in an animal fighting venture over the summer.
Before authorities searched Singleton’s home, they used court-authorized wiretaps to record him having conversations about dog fights in Louisiana and Georgia with other dogfighters.
“They also discussed upcoming matches and the stakes they would wager in those dogfights,” said the Justice Department. “The details of these conversations included strategies and plans for how to breed, market, house, train and prepare dogs for dogfights. Based on these calls and other information, law enforcement agents expanded their investigation.”
In addition to wounds from dog fighting, the 17 dogs in Singleton’s possession were kept separate from another and restrained with heavy chains, weighted collars and rudimentary cages.
“Agents found a file box containing breed information, breeding papers, breed magazines, and dog registration papers, according to the DOJ. “Agents also found Dexamethasone – a diuretic used to achieve proper weight in preparation for the dogfights – and other dog-fighting paraphernalia.”
Per the Humane Society, typical injuries dogs get from being subjected to dog fights include severe bruising, deep puncture wounds and broken bones. Animals often die during or after the fights due to blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion or infection.
Although dog fighting is illegal in the U.S. and U.S. territories, it is still sometimes practiced. Over the past decade, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has assisted with approximately 200 dogfighting cases in at least 24 states.
“Blood sports, like dogfighting, are federal crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “To set animals against each other for entertainment is cruel and unjust. Anyone who commits these acts should expect to be caught and to serve time in prison.”
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