A Broken Arrow man was federally charged with running a dog fighting and trafficking operation.
The U.S. Department of Justice said LeShon Eugene Johnson was indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Oklahoma for violations of dog fighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
Johnson is charged with possessing 190 pit-bull type dogs for use in animal fighting and for selling, transporting and delivering a dog for use in animal fighting.
The DOJ said federal authorities seized 190 dogs from Johnson in October 2024, believed to be the most dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case. He’s accused of running a dog fighting operation called “Mal Kant Kennels” in Broken Arrow and Haskell.
According to the DOJ, Johnson would selectively breed dogs that had won fights to produce offspring for use in more dog fights. He’s accused of selling dogs to other dog fighters across the country and growing the dog fighting industry for profit.
Court documents show Johnson previously pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges in 2004.
“Dog fighting is a cruel, blood-thirsty venture, not a legitimate business or sporting activity,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “I applaud the investigative work of the FBI and the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in detecting and dismantling breeding operations which only serve to propagate this deplorable conduct.”
According to court documents, Johnson pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was released and his trial is set for May.
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