Michael Vick, police investigation Options

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http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=208746
they were talking about it on espn. doesnt sound good. they had an undercover guy who has seen vick at dog fights, knows him, and has seen money exchanging hands. im assuming since hes undercover he has video or at least audio. but it also sounds like the investigators have what they need to charge him but are waiting for more evidence they think is out there to charge him with something greater. or i think possibly just trying to get him to name names.
the nfl is pretty much condeming dog fights of course and promises to aid the investigation in anyway and any nfl employee found to be guilty will receive prompt and severe punishment.
the falcons are being wishy washy and loving their michael vick so they are saying he came here in 06 or whenever and most of these charges are from before then.

but i found it really interesting. the investigator and the undercover said there seems to be wide spread dog fight gambling, training, abuse of animals within the nfl and possibly the nba. the undercover also saying vick is a "high roller" within the dog fighting ring betting 30-40k on a single fight

they arent saying oh he just bets every once in awhile or these players have seen dog fights. they are accusing them of owning dogs, abusing them, training them to fight (which as youre aware of is animal cruelty and horribly bloody) and running fights themselves. from the house vick owned though he claims he never goes there. 66 dogs were seized. he owns the house he is responsible for what goes on. even if his dead beat cousin was doing this behind his back (hard to imagine) he shouldnt be able to get away with anything

do you see him getting any stiff penalities if he doesnt get jail time? or will he just be another douchbag sports player who can sling drugs, beat women and kill animals and remain untouchable? but its not like he slapped around a loud mouth gold digging wife. he ran an illegal dog fighting ring with possibly over a hundred dogs and all the kind of other crimes that stem out of something like that?!
i dont think he'll get off totally unharmed by all this. atlanta is having a field day and he is supposedly on total lockdown by the falcons of course. its pretty clear they have enough evidence to charge him on running a dog fighting ring. if they win theres no way he'll just be able to walk out of court. i think people are tired of professional sports players behaving this way and getting away with it. theres supposedly not a lot of support for him right now in atlanta
on top of all this the police entered his home on a completely seperate drug investigation

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new in the news today

Vick co-defendant cuts deal
Tony Taylor pleads guilty, will cooperate with Feds

By JEREMY REDMON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/30/07

RICHMOND, Va. – One of Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's co-defendants in the federal dog fighting case reversed himself and plead guilty today as part of a deal with prosecutors, a troubling sign for Vick's legal defense.

Tony Taylor, who along with Vick pleaded not guilty to the charges just four days ago, agreed this morning to cooperate with federal prosecutors in their case against Vick and two other co-defendants, Purnell Peace(cq) and Quanis Phillips.

Judge Henry E. Hudson set Taylor's sentencing date for Dec. 14. Vick, Peace and Phillips' trial date is still set for Nov. 26 before Hudson.

Taylor and his attorney, Stephen A. Hudgins, declined to comment as they left the courthouse this morning. A spokesman for Vick said he needed to consult with one of Vick's four attorneys before he could make a statement.

A federal grand jury indicted Taylor, Vick and the two others on a single count of conspiring to violate three laws: the interstate travel act by crossing state lines to engage in illegal gambling; sponsoring a dog in an animal fighting venture; and buying, transporting and receiving dogs for animal fighting.

Taylor pleaded guilty this morning to conspiring to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. He faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

The 18-page indictment says the four men set up a business called "Bad Newz Kennels" in rural Surry County, Va. to raise and train pit bulls for dogfights. The men gambled on the fights in Virginia and several other states, the indictment says.

Federal prosecutors revealed additional details about their case in a 13-page statement of facts they filed with Taylor?s plea agreement today. The statement says Vick almost exclusively funded the dog-fighting operation and gambling monies. It also says the proceeds from their gambling wins were split by Taylor, Phillips and Peace.

Taylor used a large portion of his money for living expenses, the statement says, because he devoted his time to caring for and training the pit bulls. The gambling wins also were funneled back into the dog fighting operation, to pay for food, medicine and supplies, according federal prosecutors. Taylor left the business after a disagreement with Phillips and others in September of 2004, according to the statement of facts.

At Vick and Taylor's arraignment Thursday, federal prosecutors announced they would be seeking a "superceding" indictment before the end of August, meaning they could identify additional charges or defendants in the case. Coincidentally or not, Taylor's plea hearing showed up on Hudson's schedule the following day.

Taylor played a key role in the operation in May of 2001, federal prosecutors say, by identifying the Surry County property as a suitable location for housing and training the dogs. Vick bought the property the following month. After they set up their business, the four men boldly used shirts and headbands to represent and promote their dog fighting operation, the indictment says.

At various times, the men executed dogs they didn't think would fight well by gruesome means, including hanging and drowning, according to federal prosecutors. In 2002, for example, Taylor executed at least two dogs by shooting one and electrocuting the other, the indictment says.

Vick figures prominently in the indictment. It says the ex-Virginia Tech football star, who now has a $130 million contract with the Falcons, sponsored dogs in fights with purses as low as $3,000, according to the indictment.

Authorities said they found numerous dog fighting-related items on his property in Surry County, including sheds and kennels, treadmills used to condition dogs and a "break" used to pry open a dog's mouth during fights. They also found 54 pit bulls on Vick's property, some of which had scars and other injuries they said were consistent with dogfights.

Vick received more bad news over the last several days. Last week, Nike suspended Vick's endorsement contract without pay and Reebok halted sales of jerseys bearing his name.

dogfights are illegal in most states and probably soon or in the near future in all. so you got a couple of hundred years of a taboo culture and illegality to support anti dog fighting