OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:42 PM – Tuesday, August 5, 2025
A former NFL running back has been convicted after operating a large-scale dog fighting and trafficking venture.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release that former NFL running back LeShon Eugene Johnson, 54, of Broken Arrow, was convicted of six felony counts of possessing dogs for use in an animal-fighting operation. He was acquitted of 17 other similar counts.
Court records show that authorities confiscated 190 dogs from Johnson’s kennel, and the operation was touted as the largest seizure of its kind from a single person in federal history, the DOJ noted.
“The FBI will not stand for those who perpetuate the despicable crime of dogfighting,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, those who continue to engage in organized animal fighting and cruelty will face justice.”
Johnson faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count when he’s formally sentenced at a later date.
Prosecutors say that Johnson ran Mal Kant Kennels in Broken Arrow and Haskell, where he selectively bred pit-bull-type canines, known as champions or grand champions, based on their ability to win dog fights. Earlier this year, the government confiscated the 190 dogs from Johnson and they were surrendered to the U.S. Marshals Service. The government is still seeking permanent forfeiture of them.
The DOJ confirmed that Johnson purportedly bred pit-bull–type dogs that had won as many as five dog fights. He then sold their “stud rights” and offspring to other dogfighters across the country, helping to expand the illegal dogfighting network—while earning him financial gain.
Meanwhile, Billy Coyle, Johnson’s attorney, argued that his client was simply a typical dog breeder who was never once accused of fighting dogs until now. He also emphasized that the jury acquitted Johnson on most of the charges against him.
“He was simply a breeder of the American pit bull terrier,” Coyle said. “Obviously the jury found that some of his dogs were probably or were used in dog fighting, and those were difficult charges to fight.”
Coyle also told the media that federal officials used “heavy-handed” methods to arrest his client, with more than 40 cops storming Johnson’s home late at night, pointing firearms at him and his wife, and confiscating his dogs and valuables.
Johnson previously pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges in Oklahoma in 2004. Court filings show that he received a five-year deferred sentence.
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