Vick Indicted!

Off Topic
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http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/227/story/150021.html

Arbitrator rules Vick must repay almost $20 million
BY PAUL NEWBERRY - AP Sports Writer –
and this one could cost him nearly $20 million.
Already facing prison time, the disgraced quarterback lost the first round in his financial battle with the Atlanta Falcons when an arbitrator ruled Tuesday that Vick should repay much of the bonus money he got while secretly bankrolling a gruesome dogfighting ring.

The case is far from over. The players’ union said it will appeal the ruling by Stephen B. Burbank, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and special master who oversaw last week’s arbitration hearing in Philadelphia.
The Falcons argued that Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the long-running operation, knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal in December 2004.

The team said he used proceeds from the contract to fund his illicit activities and sought the repayment of $19,970,000 in bonuses he was paid over the last three years.
Any money the Falcons recover from Vick would be credited to its future salary cap, a huge step in recovering from the loss of the team’s franchise player. Atlanta (1-4) is off to a dismal start with Joey Harrington at quarterback.

“We are certainly pleased with today’s ruling,” the Falcons said in a statement. “It is the first step in a process that our club has undertaken in an attempt to recoup significant salary cap space that will allow us to continue to build our football team today and in future years.”

In a highly technical, nine-page ruling, Burbank said the Falcons were entitled to $3.75 million of the $7.5 million bonus that Vick was paid after signing the deal in 2004, $13.5 million of the $22.5 million in roster, reporting and playing bonuses he was paid in 2005 and 2006, and $2.72 million of the $7 million roster, reporting and playing bonus that he received this year

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/10/10/bc.fbn.vickjersey.ap/index.html

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) – Michael Vick’s old jersey has been removed from his high school’s trophy case because of his conviction on a federal dogfighting charge.

The suspended NFL quarterback played for two seasons at Warwick High School from 1996-97 before going on to stardom Virginia Tech and being drafted first overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. In August, he pleaded guilty to the federal charge, admitting that he helped kill six to eight dogs, and will be sentenced Dec. 10.

Michelle Price, a spokeswoman for the Newport News Public Schools, said Warwick High School principal Varinda Robinson decided to take the jersey down shortly after Vick entered his plea.

“It stayed up through the allegations, but they did decide to take it down once he admitted some guilt,” Price said.

She said school officials received no outside pressure to remove the jersey, deciding on their own that “it was the right thing to do.”

“I don’t think it’s caused any controversy,” she said.

Price doubted the jersey would be returned to the trophy case

423

Vick is being sued…again. This time by a bank for a loan he supposedly defaulted on…for a wine store?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/10/16/vick.loan.ap/index.html

ATLANTA (AP) – Wachovia Bank is seeking about $940,000 from Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and a business partner.
The bank claims that since Vick’s indictment on federal dogfighting charges, they defaulted on a 2006 loan to set up a wine shop and restaurant.
In a federal lawsuit, the bank says Vick, partner Gerald Frank Jenkins and their Atlantic Wine & Package LLC have failed to make monthly payments of principal and interest, and that Vick’s obligations “are impaired due to recent events involving Defendant Vick.”
Wachovia claimed in the suit filed Oct. 2 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta that it loaned them $1.3 million in May 2006.
Vick and Jenkins opened Atlantic Wine & Spirits and the adjoining Tasting Room restaurant in East Point in March�?�…
The Wachovia suit also claims that Atlantic Wine has multiple checking accounts, and that two of those accounts were overdrawn by a total of $34,680.
Vick already has been sued by an Indiana bank that claims he failed to repay at least $2 million in loans for a car rental business, and by a Canadian bank that claims he owes more than $2.3 million for real estate investments.

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Michael Vick’s Georgia Home for Sale
Posted Oct 19th 2007 12:35PM by TMZ Staff
Financial woes continue for dogfighting QB Michael Vick, who now has his Georgia home on the market. In the doghouse! Ruff!

TMZ has learned that Vick is selling his mansion in Duluth for $4.5 million. The listing says the home features 7 bedrooms, 8.5 baths, and is waterfront property on set on 1.5 acres. Dogfights, anybody?

The estimated monthly payment for the house is $23,206, costly for Vick – who stands to lose millions in Atlanta Falcons bonuses. He is also still suspended from playing, which puts a big bite in his income

Vick plead guilty to a federal dogfighting charge stemming from a bust at his other home in Virginia. Could that one be next?

425


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/10/24/bc.fbn.vick.dogfighting.ap/index.html

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A man who sold a champion pit bull to suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal dogfighting charge.

Oscar Allen entered the plea to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce to aid in illegal gambling and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting – the same charge to which Vick and his three co-defendants in the Bad Newz Kennels operation pleaded guilty. Vick is expected to be sentenced in December.

The 67-year-old Allen, who lives in the Williamsburg area, is to be sentenced Jan. 25, 2008. He faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years’ supervised release. He was released with conditions, including a prohibition on buying or selling any dogs.

U.S. Attorney Michael Gill recommended that Allen spend no time in prison if he complies with conditions of the plea agreement because Allen cooperated with the investigation, had no prior criminal record and had limited involvement with Bad Newz Kennels.

But U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson said he isn’t bound by that recommendation, and must take into account federal sentencing guidelines in the case.

As part of his plea, Allen admitted in a statement that he sold a female pit bull named Jane in 2001 to Bad Newz Kennels in rural Surry County, and traveled with Vick’s dogfighting associates to Jane’s fights.

In 2003, Bad Newz Kennels entered Jane in a “champion dog fight” – meaning she was fighting for her third consecutive win. Jane won the “champion” purse in a fight over another female pit bull. The winning purse is not known, according to documents filed by prosecutors.

Allen also is accused of advising Vick and his co-defendants on managing and caring for pit bulls used in the rural Surry County dogfighting operation, and helping Vick and his associates pit their dogs against each other to determine which ones were good fighters, according to the document, filed by the U.S. attorney’s office.

Allen didn’t help kill the six to eight dogs that failed to perform well, prosecutors said.

The details outlined in the indictment against Vick and related court filings fueled a public backlash against the Atlanta Falcons star and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty to the dogfighting conspiracy charge.

In his plea, Vick admitted to helping kill the underperforming pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he didn’t personally place any bets or share in any winnings. The NFL suspended him indefinitely and without pay.

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Vick’s infamous Virginia home sold for well below assessed value
By Len Pasquarelli

Updated: November 16, 2007, 1:21 PM
The property owned by banished Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick in Surry County, Va., has been purchased as an investment and will be auctioned on Dec. 15, five days after the suspended quarterback is sentenced for his role in an illegal dogfighting ring.
As first reported by the Daily Press of Newport News, and confirmed Friday by a member of the Vick camp, the 4,600-square foot home was sold to Todd Builders of Carrollton, Va. The owner of the company, Wilbur Todd Jr., paid $450,000 for the house, which previously had been assessed at $747,000.

Vick purchased the 15-acre tract in 2001 for $34,000, and the house in which his cousin then lived was built two years later. It is not known when the separate buildings, some of which were apparently used for dogfighting, were constructed.
A deed finalizing the sale was filed Thursday in Surry County.

Although he has spent much of the past several months living with his family in Virginia, where he is said to be working out regularly and awaiting his sentencing, Vick recently purchased a Miami condominium. Sources said that his legal team, after considering the possibility of having his sentencing moved to an earlier date, have dropped those attempts.
The real estate agent who assisted Todd in the acquisition of the property called it “the most famous house in America today,” but did not say how much he felt it will bring at auction. “You can ask people from coast to coast which house in the most notorious in the country today, and it’s this house,” real estate agent Kyle Hause told The Daily Press.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/magazine/specials/sportsman/2007/11/07/dohrmann.dogs/index.html?eref=T1

By George Dohrmann
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 3. Here’s one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer. For more essays, click here.
If one were to pick the anti-Sportsperson of the Year, it would be the easiest of choices: Michael Vick. Say what you will about the misdeeds of Tim Donaghy, Pacman Jones and Isiah Thomas, but those three have nothing on Vick, the admitted dogfighter and puppy killer. It is fitting then that my Sportsperson(s) of the Year comes from among those having to clean up Vick’s mess.
There are 31 dogs once owned by Vick currently housed in shelters around Virginia, another three in upstate New York and 14 in Northern California. The people who care for those dogs daily deserve some recognition, and they are my choice for Sportsperson(s) of the Year.
Tim Racer and his wife, Donna Reynolds, are among those currently caring for dogs confiscated from Vick’s kennel. They run an organization called Bad Rap (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls). People have strong opinions about Pit Bulls. Many believe the breed should be banned in the United States; others (like Racer and Reynolds) remember when it was America’s most popular dog.

They believe Pit Bulls are gentle creatures at their core. Set aside your feelings on Pit Bulls for a moment and consider only this: Racer and Reynolds awake every day and try to “give these dogs the life they should have had,” Racer says. “People use the word ‘rehab’ but we don’t. We say ‘healing.’ We are fixing them physically and then emotionally by giving them food, water, basic training, socialization and structure.”

Racer and Reynolds have worked with animals in various positions for more than a decade. Both are into found art; they simply don’t like to see things thrown away. In 1999, they started Bad Rap after charting the increase in abandoned Pit Bulls on the streets and in shelters. They speak at conferences and hold Pit Bull-specific training classes in the Bay Area. “We’re not bleeding hearts,” Reynolds says. “We know that there are certain dogs that have to be euthanized. But some can be healed, fixed up, and then we can find good homes for them.”

When I visited Racer and Reynolds recently at their craftsman home on a quiet street in Oakland, Calif., I was greeted at the door by a blind, white 10-year-old Pit Bull named Honky Tonk. When the couple brings foster dogs into their home, Honky Tonk, one of the first dogs they rescued, is the first dog introduced. “He is so stable that other dogs just relax around him,” Reynolds says. While I interviewed the couple, Honky Tonk licked my hands and arms and eventually climbed up on to the ottoman near me and nestled into my lap. Soon, he was snoring.

I don’t know if any of Vick’s dogs can ever been as gentle as Honky Tonk. It may be that most of them can’t be “healed” completely, that they will be put down once Vick’s case concludes. But I like that Racer and Reynolds and others in New York and Virginia are tending for these animals no matter how much time they have left. They are cleaning their bedding, giving them Kongs (toys), clipping their nails and making them feel loved.

Canine experts say one reason Pit Bulls are such good fighters is that their desire to please their owners is so strong they will do whatever is asked of them. Michael Vick didn’t deserve that level of commitment. Racer, Reynolds and the others now caring for the dogs do. They also deserve to be Sportsperson(s) of the Year.

428

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/19/bc.fbn.vicksurrenders.ap/index.html

Vick surrenders to U.S. marshals
QB begins serving time 3 weeks before sentencing
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Michael Vick surrendered to U.S. marshals Monday and will remain in jail until his sentencing on a dogfighting charge in three weeks.
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 10 but turned himself in because he anticipates a prison term on the federal dogfighting conspiracy charge, according to a court document. Vick could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
“From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions, and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance,” Billy Martin, one of Vick’s lawyers, said in a statement. “Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter, and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time.”

Vick is being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw until his sentencing, U.S. marshals told The Associated Press. The mixed-gender facility houses about 450 inmates.
The order filed in U.S. District Court said: “Vick has indicated his desire to voluntarily enter custody prior to his sentencing hearing. It appearing appropriate to do so, the U.S. Marshal is ordered to take custody of the Defendant immediately upon his surrender.”

The order added Vick was taken into custody “based solely on his desire to begin his period of incarceration prior to his sentencing hearing and not because of violation of any condition of his bond.”
In an e-mail sent to the AP, the U.S. attorney’s office confirmed Vick’s surrender but declined further comment.
Vick’s decision to begin serving time before sentencing was approved by the judge and Vick’s lawyers.

Ronald Bacigal, a University of Richmond law professor who specializes in criminal law and criminal procedure, said there are no real direct legal benefits to Vick’s decision to turn himself in before sentencing.
“I don’t think there’s any benefits except getting (the sentence) started,” Bacigal said. “I would think he’s purely thinking about timing as far as when he can get back to his football.”

Vick also could be trying to show the judge he has accepted responsibility for his actions in hopes of a lighter sentence, Bacigal said.
“One of the things the judge is liable to consider is admitting fault,” Bacigal said.
Whether that will work is anyone’s guess.
“It’s kind of like reading tea leaves knowing what’s the exact impact on the judge,” Bacigal said.

The federal dogfighting case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin raided the property Vick owns in Surry County and seized dozens of dogs, most of them pit bulls, and equipment associated with dogfighting.
It’s there that the dogfighting enterprise known as Bad Newz Kennels operated since 2001 on 15 acres of land Vick owned.

Vick initially denied any knowledge of the enterprise, then pledged after he was charged that he would fight to clear his name. After his three co-defendants pleaded guilty, Vick followed suit.

The gruesome details outlined in the federal indictment – dogs were hanged, drowned and electrocuted – fueled a public backlash against the Falcons star and cost him several lucrative endorsement deals, even before he agreed to plead guilty to the dogfighting conspiracy charge.

In his written plea, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings, but merely associating with gambling can result in a lifetime ban under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Vick and his co-defendants also face state felony dogfighting charges. Vick has been charged with two state felony counts _ beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each felony is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Suspended indefinitely by the NFL without pay, Vick was unable to stay out of trouble. He tested positive in September for marijuana, a violation of U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson’s order that he stay clean in exchange for being allowed to be free.
After that positive test, Hudson ordered Vick confined to his home address between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., with electronic monitoring and random drug testing.

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Mr Vick probably has something else up his sleeve, turning himself in right before Thanksgiving, but I don’t care. A co-worker asked today, “did the sentence fit the crime?” I suggested we ask one of the dogs he killed, no comment. He better be glad neither my wife nor I gets to decide his fate.

431


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/20/bc.fbn.vick.finances.ap/index.html

Vick money may go to dogs
Government asks judge to freeze $1 million of QB
Posted: Tuesday November 20, 2007 2:38PM; Updated: Tuesday November 20, 2007 2:39PM

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Michael Vick’s “deteriorating financial condition” prompted federal prosecutors to ask a judge to order the former NFL star to set aside nearly $1 million for the care of pit bulls seized from his dogfighting operation.
In court papers filed Tuesday, the government asked U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson to issue a restraining order that essentially would freeze about $928,000 to fulfill Vick’s legal obligation to cover the costs of caring for the dogs and finding homes for them.

Vick faces a prison term of up to five years when he is sentenced Dec. 10 on a federal dogfighting conspiracy conviction. He voluntarily began serving his prison term early on Monday.
As part of his plea deal, Vick agreed to make restitution for the care and placement of the 54 pit bulls confiscated from his Bad Newz Kennels property in Surry County. Prosecutors cited a rash of claims by Vick’s creditors and former employer that threaten his ability to make good on the agreement:
_An arbitrator’s ruling that Vick should repay the Atlanta Falcons nearly $20 million in bonus money.
_A lawsuit by Wachovia Bank claiming Vick and others defaulted on a $1.3 million loan for a wine store.
_Royal Bank of Canada’s lawsuit seeking payment for default on a $2.5 million credit line.
_A lawsuit by 1st Source Bank of South Bend, Ind., seeking at least $2 million for loans involving a rental car business.
“The current events outlined above regarding Vick’s deteriorating financial condition demonstrate the validity of the government’s concern about the defendant’s ability to fulfill his legal obligation by the time he is sentenced on December 10, 2007,” prosecutors said in their motion.
Vick’s lead attorney, Billy Martin, did not immediately respond to telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment.
The prosecutors said the civil actions against Vick suggest “demands for payment by Vick have gone unheeded,” and that published reports indicate the former Virginia Tech star has listed a suburban Atlanta home for sale for $4.5 million.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/20/vick.jail.ap/index.html

Vick to stay in prison for holiday
Suspended QB will get turkey dinner, visitation in jail
Posted: Tuesday November 20, 2007 6:58PM; Updated: Tuesday November 20, 2007 6:58PM

WARSHAW, Va. (AP) – The Northern Neck Regional Jail doesn’t have the comforts of Michael Vick’s Georgia mansion, but at least the disgraced quarterback will get to enjoy a hot turkey dinner this Thanksgiving. And, perhaps, a non-contact visit with a loved one.
Vick unexpectedly turned himself in Monday and will be housed at the jail until his sentencing.

Jail officials wouldn’t discuss their new celebrity inmate, but a peek inside the facility provided a glimpse of what life for the Atlanta Falcons quarterback will be like in the coming days. And it’s not exactly festive.
The jail houses inmates charged with offenses from misdemeanors to murder. About 40 of the approximately 425 current inmates are women, who are housed separately. Some inmates are confined to small cells, while others are housed in dorms.

High-profile inmates are sometimes kept apart from the general population, but jail officials won’t say where Vick is being held within the facility.
Vick can forget his flashy suits. Inmates wear standard-issue black-and-white striped uniforms. One bonus: they get to wear their own shoes.

Meals are delivered to each of the jail’s 20 housing units. Thursday’s will be extra special: turkey, stuffing, rice, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie.

Conjuring up a jolly holiday atmosphere might be a bit of a stretch even for the most determined inmate. The squat facility is partially encircled by endless loops of barbed wire. Inside the gray cinderblock lobby, grim-faced visitors slump in plastic chairs. At the visitor’s booth, a woman screams into a telephone at the inmate sitting across from her. He grins back through the Lexan divider until she finally mutters, “I love you.”

This is where Vick will be allowed to see his own loved ones, if he chooses. Inmates are typically allowed one non-contact visit per week, which can last up to an hour, said Maj. Ted Hull.
If he gets bored, Vick could attempt to keep himself in shape in the jail’s recreation yard and gym. Inmates are allowed to play basketball and run, but weight lifting is prohibited, Hull said.
The jail is located just behind the welcome sign to this rural town of about 1,500 near the Chesapeake Bay. Down the road, dozens of black cows graze in a pasture. Head in the other direction and shortly you’ll come to a Hardee’s, where a group of locals who meets each morning for breakfast and gossip is discussing the topic du jour: their new celebrity neighbor.

Let’s just call them decidedly unimpressed.
“I love good dogs,” 76-year-old Jack Reams, a 50-year resident of Warsaw, said as he nursed a cup of coffee. “I don’t like bad dogs. I think he’s a bad dog.”
Vick won’t find much sympathy with this group.
“I think he ought to stay in jail forever,” said Eldor Schuman, 70, who lives in nearby Lottsburg. "Anyone with a career like he has, millions of dollars, to go and waste it on the mistreatment of animals is unbelievable.

“I will not feel sorry for him, I feel sorry for all the animals.”
After his surrender Monday, one of Vick’s attorneys explained the move as yet another step in Vick’s public repentance for his involvement in the bloody dogfighting ring.
“From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions, and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance,” Billy Martin said in a statement.

That fell flat with Reams and his friends, who said Vick’s surrender was just another attempt to elicit sympathy from the judge. In fact, Reams has his own idea of how Vick should be punished:
“I think he ought to be put in the cell with two pit bulls,” he said.

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Here is the official site of the jail Vick will be residing in for now:

http://www.nnrj.state.va.us/about/index.htm

Anybody who would like to go visit Vick, here is the schedule:

http://www.nnrj.state.va.us/inmate_info/Family_Friends_Visitation.htm

434

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/27/bc.fbn.vickindicted.ap/index.html

State Judge sets Vick trial for April
QB already in prison, faces state dogfighting charges
Posted: Tuesday November 27, 2007 10:18AM; Updated: Tuesday November 27, 2007 10:21AM

SUSSEX, Va. (AP) – A judge on Tuesday scheduled an April 2 trial date for jailed Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on two state felony dogfighting charges.

Vick’s lawyer, Lawrence Woodward, requested a jury trial during the 5-minute session

The suspended NFL star did not to attend the hearing in Surry County Circuit Court. Vick is being held at a Warsaw, Va., jail after surrendering on Nov. 19 to begin serving time for a federal dogfighting conspiracy conviction.

Vick faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 10 in the federal case.

The two state charges – beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs, and engaging in or promoting dogfighting – also are punishable by up to five years in prison each.

Ten protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stood outside the courthouse holding placards with pictures of injured dogs and the messages “Report Dogfighters!” and “Dogs Deserve Justice.”

The court also set trial dates of March 5 for co-defendants Quanis L. Phillips and Purnell A. Peace and a May 7 trial for Tony Taylor.

435


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/30/vick.co.defendants.ap/index.html

Two Vick co-defendants sentenced
Posted: Friday November 30, 2007 9:52AM; Updated: Friday November 30, 2007 6:51PM

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A federal judge made clear his disdain for animal cruelty when he sentenced two of Michael Vick’s dogfighting cohorts to 18 months and 21 months in prison Friday.

“You may have thought this was sporting, but it was very callous and cruel,” Judge Henry Hudson told Quanis Phillips of Atlanta, who received the longer sentence.

The prison terms for Phillips and Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach are a little longer than prosecutors recommended, but less than the five-year maximum Hudson could have imposed.

Vick, the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback, also faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 10 for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that operated on his 15-acre property in southeastern Virginia from 2001 until last summer.

“It’s good news for Michael Vick because it shows the judge is willing to sentence within the range,” said Steven Benjamin of Richmond, secretary of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Federal sentencing guidelines called for prison terms of a year to 18 months for Peace and 18 months to two years for Phillips, who has 10 prior misdemeanor convictions. Prosecutors recommended sentences at the low end of those ranges because of the co-defendants’ cooperation in the government’s investigation.

But Hudson, who owns a bichon frise dog, said he believed slightly tougher sentences were appropriate. Peace’s sentence is at the top of the guideline range, Phillips’ in the middle.

And Benjamin said Vick still could get a sentence above the negotiated range in his case – a year to 18 months – if Hudson concludes 27-year-old Vick is more culpable than the others because he admitting bankrolling the operation and providing gambling money.

According to court papers, Vick not only financed the “Bad Newz Kennels” but also participated in executing several underperforming dogs by drowning, hanging and other means.

Vick publicly apologized for his role in the dogfighting enterprise and turned himself in Nov. 19 to begin serving his prison term early. He is being held in a state jail in Warsaw, Va.

Vick’s attorney, Lawrence Woodward, attended Friday’s proceedings and declined to comment as he left the courtroom.

John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States, also attended and said he was satisfied with the sentences.

“The judge sent a pretty strong and clear message that dogfighting is a dead-end activity, and it carries some meaningful consequences,” Goodwin said.

Peace, Phillips and Tony Taylor of Hampton pleaded guilty last summer and agreed to testify against Vick, prompting the former Virginia Tech football star to enter his own plea agreement a few days later. The 35-year-old Taylor will be sentenced Dec. 14.

In addition to prison time, Peace and Phillips were fined $250 each and will be placed on three years’ probation after their release.

Hudson said he was “disturbed” to read in a pre-sentencing report that Peace told the court he saw nothing wrong with dogfighting and believed “it’s natural for dogs to fight.”

“I am very sorry,” Peace told Hudson, fighting back tears while his family members in the packed courtroom softly wept.

Peace also expressed remorse and pleaded for understanding in a letter to Hudson, who received five other letters from Peace’s friends and relatives.

“I have asked God and my family to forgive me, but I would also like to ask you, the public, and everyone else that I have affected and or offended not to just pardon me, but to try and understand I am not without sin, and I am more than just the dog slayer the world has come to know me as,” Peace wrote.

The 28-year-old Phillips passed on his opportunity to address the court and did not submit any letters from supporters. His attorney, Jeffrey Swartz, later told reporters Phillips was “nervous and decided not to speak,” so he did the talking for him.

Swartz told the judge Phillips was sorry and would be willing to “help address the issue of dogfighting” as part of his probation.

“That’s going to have to flow from the heart, not an order from me,” Hudson said.

Swartz also explained how Phillips got involved in the enterprise, tracing it to his childhood in Vick’s hometown of Newport News.

“He grew up around people for whom dogfighting was an accepted and acceptable activity,” Swartz told Hudson. “It was a way for young men to prove themselves.”

Swartz said he was not trying to excuse the behavior, which Phillips now realizes was wrong.

All four men also face state charges, and Swartz told Hudson that “I still have to shake my head and wonder a little bit about the federal government’s decision to prosecute this case.”

Federal prosecutors refused to comment as they left the courthouse, where several protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals gathered holding posters with pictures of injured dogs.

Taylor’s attorney, Claire Cardwell, also left without answering reporters’ questions.

Phillips, who has been in custody for violating terms of his release, was led away in his orange prison jumpsuit. The 36-year-old Peace will report to prison Jan. 3.

The case began in April when a drug investigation of a Vick relative led authorities to the Surry County property, where they found dozens of pit bulls and an assortment of dogfighting paraphernalia.

Opinion:
I am guessing that Vick is fucked here. Cause he came out later he could get a worse deal. These guys aren’t just going in for the weekend.

436


Here is an article talking about how this could affect Vick:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/michael_mccann/11/30/vick.reaction/index.html

As the dominoes fall
Assessing Vick’s fate after co-defendants’ sentencing
Posted: Friday November 30, 2007 7:52PM; Updated: Friday November 30, 2007 8:02PM

Michael Vick and his legal team received potentially discouraging news this morning, when U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced two of Vick’s co-defendants, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, to longer prison sentences than federal prosecutors had recommended. Peace will serve 18 months, while Phillips will serve 21 months. In exchange for the defendants’ cooperation, prosecutors had recommended that each receive a sentence consistent with the lower end of the federal sentencing guidelines (12 to 18 months for Peace; 16 to 24 months for Phillips). Just as he has with Vick, however, Judge Hudson had the discretion to issue sentences in excess of the guidelines and to discount – or altogether ignore – the prosecutors’ recommendation.

In explaining his sentence, Hudson emphasized the “very callous and cruel” nature of the dogfighting and Peace and Phillips’ involvement it. He also highlighted their decision-making authority.

Though it would be speculative to predict Vick’s sentence based on today’s sentencing, it may shed light on what Vick can expect. For a 27-year and 5-month-old quarterback so reliant on running ability and one who will likely remain suspended from the National Football League for a lengthy, if not permanent, period of time following his release, a difference of months between Vick’s best- and worst-case-sentencing scenarios could significantly affect his potential return to the NFL or, in the alternative, pursuit of employment in the United Football League, which is scheduled to start next August. Indeed, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s willingness to reinstate Vick may be influenced by the severity of Vick’s sentence.

Let’s start with the good news for Vick: Prosecutors have recommended that Judge Hudson sentence him to a term close to 12 months and no more than 18 months. Perhaps revealingly and despite his unambiguous disgust for Peace and Philips, Judge Hudson declined to sentence them to a term in excess of prosecutors’ recommendation. If Judge Hudson were to adopt the same approach when sentencing Vick, the embattled quarterback would not receive more than 18 months, and thus nowhere near the possible maximum sentence of 60 months, meaning that he would be out of prison by 2009 and still young enough to resume a pro football career.

As a first-time criminal, Vick is also poised to receive a lighter sentence. Generally, first-time offenders of laws are treated more favorably by judges than repeat offenders, with the basic idea that repeat offenders didn’t learn their lesson the first time. Then again, Vick’s lack of previous criminal record was already contemplated in his 12- to 18-month sentencing guideline, meaning that he may not get a second bite on that apple.

Vick has also taken steps to appear contrite and personally responsible. He voluntarily reported early for a sentence that has yet to be entered against him and has agreed to pay more than $928,000 to care for dogs seized from his property. Also, for a first-time defendant being prosecuted for crimes that, according to some observers, are usually ignored by law enforcement officers, Vick has done nothing to publicly suggest that he is the victim of selective prosecution, be it because of his celebrity, lifestyle or race.

There are plenty of discouraging facts for Vick, however, as his sentencing on Dec. 10 approaches. Most obvious, Judge Hudson declined prosecutors’ recommendation of leniency in his sentencing of Peace and Phillips. Also, based on his comments earlier Friday, Judge Hudson seems genuinely disgusted by the entire dogfighting operation.

Vick has also given Judge Hudson reason to doubt the sincerity of his contrition. In September, Vick violated the stipulation in his pretrial release that he refrain from use or unlawful possession of a narcotic drug or other controlled substance, a move that prompted Judge Hudson to impose additional restrictions on Vick’s release.

Other factors remain outstanding. A U.S. probation officer reviewing Vick’s case will soon issue a pre-sentencing report, which is a formal summary of relevant information on the case and the defendant. In recommending a sentence, the report will examine the totality of Vick’s involvement in the dog fighting operation, including the harm inflicted upon the animals – a piece of information which, based on today’s sentencing, is a clear point of interest of Judge Hudson.

Also, despite a guilty plea, Vick’s specific involvement in the dogfighting operation remains a point of contention. Vick’s plea agreement, signed by him, his counsel, and the prosecution, acknowledged that he agreed to the killing of dogs and that the dogs died “as a result” of the collective efforts of Vick, Peace, and Phillips. It does not, however, expressly state that Vick personally killed those dogs. The distinction, undoubtedly of great importance to Vick and his attorneys, could imply that Vick’s failings were more of passive than active immorality. Last week, however, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that in one incident, Vick, along with Peace and Phillips, “executed approximately eight dogs that performed poorly in testing.” How Judge Hudson reconciles these slight, though possibly meaningful, linguistic variations could prove crucial.

But the most telling tea leaf for Vick’s sentencing may simply go back to Judge Hudson’s grim admonishment following Vick’s guilty plea: “You’re taking your chances here. You’ll have to live with whatever decision I make.”

Indeed, he will.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/wires/11/30/2020.ap.fbn.vick.signing.bonus.0446/index.html

This one deals with the ongoing situation with Vick and the NFL regarding the bonus’s his team wants back. This is pretty important given all the questions regarding Vick’s financial situation.

Union attorneys argue for Michael Vick to keep nearly $20M in bonuses

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Michael Vick should be allowed to keep nearly $20 million in bonus money even though his NFL career is on hold for his role in a dogfighting operation, a lawyer for the players’ union argued Friday.

The NFL Players Association asked a federal judge to overturn a special master’s decision that Vick should forfeit the bonus money because of his guilty plea. The former Atlanta Falcons star faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 10.

Dogfighting wasn’t the issue at Friday’s hearing. Instead, the arguments turned on interpretations of the NFL collective bargaining agreement.

Union attorney Jeffrey Kessler argued that Vick’s "roster bonus’’ should be treated the same as a "performance bonus,‘’ which can’t be forfeited under the collective bargaining agreement.

But Gregg Levy, representing the NFL, said the roster bonus should be treated like a "signing bonus allocation,‘’ which could be forfeited.

District Judge David Doty, who has handled cases involving the collective bargaining agreement for nearly 20 years, compared interpreting the relevant section of the agreement to "alchemy’’ but didn’t indicate how or when he might rule.

Outside the courtroom, players union chief Gene Upshaw said the union wasn’t defending Vick’s actions by pursuing the case.

"This is not about Michael Vick. This is not about dogfighting. This is about interpretation of the contract and what it means,‘’ he said.

Special master Stephen B. Burbank ruled last month that the Falcons were entitled to recover $19.97 million in bonuses paid from 2004 through this year. The Falcons argued that Vick used proceeds from a $130 million contract he signed in 2004 to finance his illicit activities.

Any money recovered would be credited to Atlanta’s future salary cap

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Source says prosecutors may ask for longer sentence for Vick

RICHMOND, Va. – A source familiar with the defense in the Michael Vick dog fighting case told ESPN’s Kelly Naqi that the government believes Vick has not been forthright in his debriefs with them, and they may push to have Vick sentenced on the upward end of the sentencing guidelines.

On Monday, federal prosecutors in the case filed a motion under seal on Monday. Judge Henry Hudson issued an order that has been placed under seal as well. It is not known what is contained in either sealed document.

Vick faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 10 for his role in a dog fighting conspiracy headquartered on his 15-acre property from 2001 until last summer.

Last week, Quanis Phillips was sentenced to 21 months and Purnell Peace received 18 months in the same case – a little longer than prosecutors recommended, but less than the five-year maximum Hudson could have imposed.

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Remaining 47 dogs placed with rescue organizations

RICHMOND, Va. – The remaining 47 pit bulls seized from suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation are being placed with rescue organizations.

Federal judge Henry E. Hudson on Thursday signed off on recommendations by the court-appointed guardian for the dogs from Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels operation.

Rebecca J. Huss, an animal law expert, recommended the dogs be placed with eight organizations, including 22 to Best Friends Animal Society in Utah and 10 to Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls in California.

The transfers should take place within the next month, according to Tom Shaer, a spokeman for Huss.

Vick faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that operated on his 15-acre property beginning in 2001.

Vick and his co-defendants still face state charges in Surry County in southeastern Virginia

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Vick’s house hot property for owner
New owner hopes December tours for prospective buyers will draw a lot of attention.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/southofjames/dp-news_vickhouse_1120nov20,0,13029.story

By ALICIA P.Q. WITTMEYER 247-4535
November 20, 2007
SURRY�?? - Wilbur Ray Todd Jr. wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen when he decided to buy up the Surry County property that was once the home base of Michael Vick’s notorious dogfighting operation.

Todd, who bought the 4,608-square-foot home to fix up and auction off next month, said he had hoped to keep the whole transaction low key.

So much for that idea.
“It’s a little bit of a circus,” he said outside the property on Monday, where he and his work crew have been cleaning, fixing patches of drywall and figuring out what else needs to be done before the property goes up for auction Dec. 15.

Todd’s real estate agent, Kyle Hause Jr., with Long and Foster, says he’s already received a number of inquiries, both from media outlets interested in touring the property, and from potential buyers after news went public Friday of his client’s plans to auction off the property once owned by Newport News native and NFL quarterback Vick. If a good enough offer comes along, they may sell before the actual auction date, Hause said.

The deed of sale to Todd’s company, Todd Builders Inc., of Carrollton, was filed in the Surry County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office last week.

The five bedroom, 4 1/2 bathroom white-brick home, which sits on 15 acres, down a rural county road, was custom built in 2003 for Vick to be the home base for his dogfighting operation, Bad Newz Kennels. Vick did not live there �?? the house was occupied by his cousin, Davon Boddie.

Its assessed value is $747,000. Todd purchased it for $450,000, saying he decided to buy it as “soon as I knew it became available.”

“It was a good investment,” he said. “The stars were aligned.”

And the property is in pretty good shape, considering it’s been a part of a criminal investigation since April, he said.

There are a few personal effects lying around, such as pieces of furniture and linens. Those infamous black-painted dog kennels sitting at the back of the property have some remnants from their old occupants too, he said: There are still a few dog houses inside, and some collars.

The kennels will be kept intact for the auction, Todd said, adding, however, that the area “needs a real good clean up.”

Open houses for potential buyers will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9, and from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 14, and starting at 9 a.m. Dec. 15.

Todd said he’s planning to sell refreshments during the auction and hopes to donate the proceeds from those sales to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals