OKLAHOMA (WBAY) – A former NFL player who once played for the Packers is accused of a large dog fighting operation.
Leshon Eugene Johnson, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, made his initial appearance in court last week, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. He is charged with possessing 190 pit bull-type dogs for use in an animal fighting venture.
Federal authorities seized 190 dogs from Johnson in October 2024 as authorized under the Animal Welfare Act. The DOJ said in a statement that this is believed to be the largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case.
According to court documents, Johnson ran a dog fighting operation known as “Mal Kant Kennels” in both Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma. He previously ran “Krazyside Kennels” also out of Oklahoma, which led to his guilty plea on state animal fighting charges in 2004.
The DOJ said 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. 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, the DOJ said.
According to a statement from the DOJ, Johnson’s 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.
If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty on each count of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Johnson played for the Green Bay Packers in 1994 and 1995. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals from 1995 to 1997. He also played for the New York Giants in 1999.
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