(The Center Square) – A Louisiana man was sentenced to prison Wednesday as part of an illegal animal fighting venture.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced David Guidry III, of Independence, Louisiana, to one year and one day in prison for possession of animals in an animal fighting venture. Guidry had previously pleaded guilty. Six other people involved in the enterprise were previously convicted and five have been sentenced to prison.
Federal agents first discovered Guidry’s involvement in the dogfighting ring through court-authorized wiretaps investigating drug trafficking in the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana by other people. In the summer of 2017, law enforcement discovered Guidry hosted at least two dogfights at his residence in Independence, at which drug traffickers and dogfighters fought dogs and gambled on the fights, according to court records.
In October 2017, federal agents got a warrant to search Guidry’s residence. They found a dogfighting pit surrounded by discarded beverage containers, seven pit bulls restrained with heave chains, a device to pry open the jaws of a dog and veterinary equipment. Agents seized the dogs and took them to a facility in North Carolina for medical care and rehabilitation.
Six other people had previously been convicted for their participation in the interstate dogfighting ring. Five have already been sentenced for their dogfighting convictions:
Eric “EZ” Williams, of Baton Rouge: 60 months in prison;Corey Brown, of Baton Rouge: 50 months in prison;Clay Turner, of Loranger: 36 months in prison;Dangelo Dontae Cornish, of Greensburg: 16 months in prison; andAquintas Kantrell Singleton, of Baton Rouge: 12 months and one day months in prison.
Antonio Damon Atkins, of Baton Rouge, pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges in July. He is awaiting sentencing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated the case.
