MUSKOGEE – A former National Football League player from Oklahoma has been indicted in federal court here, accused – again – of operating a dog fighting operation.
LeShon Eugene Johnson, 54, of Broken Arrow, made his initial court appearance recently on 21 felony charges accusing him of violating the U.S. Animal Welfare Act.
Johnson was in possession of 190 pit bull-type dogs allegedly used in an animal fighting venture. He also is accused of selling, transporting, and delivering a dog for use in an animal fighting venture.
Federal authorities seized the animals in October 2024. This is believed to be the largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case, law enforcement officials reported.
According to court documents, Johnson ran a dog fighting operation known as “Mal Kant Kennels” in both Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma.
Johnson selectively bred “champion” and “grand champion” fighting dogs – dogs that have respectively won three or five fights – to produce offspring with fighting traits and abilities desired by him and others for use in dog fights, investigators said.
Johnson marketed and sold stud rights and offspring from winning fighting dogs to other dog fighters looking to incorporate the Mal Kant Kennels “bloodline” into their own dog fighting operations. His trafficking of fighting dogs to other dog fighters across the country contributed to the growth of the dog fighting industry and allowed Johnson to profit financially, prosecutors claim.
Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase, or receive dogs for fighting purposes.
A jury trial for Johnson is scheduled on May 5 in Muskogee’s federal district court. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty on each count of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The FBI’s Shreveport Resident Agency office is investigating the case.
“The FBI views animal cruelty investigations as a precursor to larger, organized crime efforts, similar to trafficking and homicides,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Dog fighting is illegal, and courts have upheld its prosecution time and again,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This strategic prosecution of an alleged repeat offender led to the seizure of 190 dogs destined for a cruel end. It disrupts a major source of dogs used in other dog fighting ventures.”
“Dog fighting is a cruel, bloodthirsty venture, not a legitimate business or sporting activity,” said Christopher J. Wilson, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Johnson previously operated “Krazyside Kennels” in Haskell, which led to six felony charges filed against him almost 21 years ago.
Agents of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control seized more than 80 pit bulldogs after search warrants were served in July 2004 at the Tulsa-area residence of LeShon Johnson. Those seizures were part of an investigation that resulted in the confiscation of 141 dogs in May 2004 and the arrests of 22 people, including Johnson, said Mark Woodward, spokesman for the OBNDD.
The OBNDD was investigating a drug dealer in southern Oklahoma “who invited our undercover agent to a dog fight,” OBN spokesman Mark Woodward recalled. “Our agent agreed to go” in order to “keep up appearances.” Subsequently the Narcotics Bureau contacted the Oklahoma Veterinary Board “and we did a joint undercover investigation, with OBN focusing on drug deals involving some of the dog fighters and the Vet Board focusing on the dog fighting.”
LeShon Johnson was not part of the OBNDD drug investigation, Woodward emphasized.
Johnson pleaded guilty in Hughes County District Court in late 2005 to owning, possessing, keeping or training a dog for fighting; instigating or encouraging a dogfight; servicing or facilitating a dogfight; cruelty to animals; conspiracy to commit a felony; and engaging in a continuing criminal racketeering enterprise.
Johnson received a five-year deferred prison sentence but was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine plus $1,216 in court costs and to pay $5,245 in restitution.
Johnson, a Haskell native, attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College before transferring to Northern Illinois University as a junior.
He played college football at Northeastern and for the Northern Illinois Huskies, earning consensus All-America honors in 1993. As a senior that year, Johnson was the leading college rusher with 1,976 yards on 327 carries and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting race.
He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1994 NFL draft. He also played professionally for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants of the NFL and the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL (2001). Johnson was a running back and kick returner in the NFL for six seasons.
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