Michael Vick Pleads Guilty to Dogfighting

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has agreed to plead guilty to the federal dogfighting charges against him under a deal reached today between his attorneys and prosecutors.^[1]

Vick's federal criminal attorney, William R. Martin, made the announcement in a written statement released by his office this afternoon.^[2] Martin asserted that Vick accepted full responsibility for his actions and decided over the weekend to accept the plea deal.^[3]

Vick and his attorneys are scheduled to appear in federal court in Richmond next Monday, according to the statement.^[4]

The terms of the plea deal were not immediately clear, but previous reports indicated that the two sides were discussing an arrangement by which Vick would spend about a year in jail.^[5]

The three co-defendants in the case previously agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the prosecution; Vick was charged with helping to operate a dogfighting ring based at a property owned by him in southeastern Virginia. ^[6]

The federal indictment of Vick portrayed him as an active member of the dogfighting operation who attended and even traveled to dogfights, paid bets for losing fights and participated in the killing of dogs that underperformed.^[7]

Vick was charged, among other things with interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises, which in case entailed traveling in interstate commerce and using the mail or any facility in commerce with intent to commit any crime of violence to further any unlawful activity to promote, manage, establish, carry on, and facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, and carrying on of an unlawful activity, to wit: a business enterprise involving gambling in violation of Virginia Code Annotated Sections 3.1-796.124(A)(2), 18.2-326, and 18.2-328 and thereafter performing and attempting to perform acts to commit any crime of violence to further any unlawful activity and to promote, manage, establish, and carry on, and to facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, and carrying on of the unlawful activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952.

He was also charged with 7 U.S.C. § 2156 (a), or sponsoring or exhibiting an animal in an animal fighting venture, which in general, except in certain states where the fighting of live birds is not illegal, §2156 states that it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture, if any animal in the venture was moved in interstate or foreign commerce.^[8] It is also unlawful for any person to knowingly sell, buy, transport, deliver, or receive for purposes of transportation, in interstate or foreign commerce, any dog or other animal for purposes of having the dog or other animal participate in an animal fighting venture.^[9]

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^[1] Mark Maske and Jerry Markon, Vick Agrees to Plead Guilty, Washington Post, August 20, 2007, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/20/AR2007082000898.html?hpid=topnews (last visited August 20, 2007).
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] 7 U.S.C. § 2156 (a)(1)(2007).
^[9] Id., at §2156(b).