Former NFL RB LeShon Johnson sentenced to 5 years for operating large-scale dogfighting ring in Oklahoma

Johnson will also have 3 years of supervised release, and he’ll have to pay a $30,000 fine

By Andy Backstrom, Contributing writer

Former NFL running back LeShon Johnson has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after being convicted of six dogfighting-related charges, according to a Department of Justice release on Thursday.

Additionally, Johnson — who was in the NFL from 1994-99 and spent time with the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants — will have three years of supervised release. Plus, he’ll have to pay a $30,000 fine.

Johnson was indicted in March 2025 and convicted in an Oklahoma federal court in August of last year. He had been running a large-scale dogfighting ring based in the state since at least 2007, according to the DOJ, which cited trial testimony.

Johnson, 55, previously pleaded guilty in 2004 to Oklahoma dogfighting offenses. Back then, he received a five-year deferred sentence in state court, according to ESPN’s Thursday report, which cited Oklahoma court records.

His most recent operation, known as “Mal Kant Kennels,” consisted of breeding and selling pit bulls who would fight around the country, with Johnson profiting from the trafficking. The 190 dogs the authorities seized from Johnson’s property are the most ever rescued from a single individual in a federal dogfighting case, per the DOJ.

“LeShon Johnson will face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dogfighting scheme,” associate attorney general Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said in a statement on Thursday.

“As Johnson was well aware, dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states. To anyone attempting to build violent and illicit business schemes: You can run, but you can’t hide from the Department of Justice.”

Johnson was convicted of six felonies last summer, per ESPN’s Thursday report: three counts of possessing a dog for use in an animal fighting venture; two counts of selling a dog for use in an animal fighting venture; and one count of sale, transport and delivery of a dog for use in an animal fighting venture.

Johnson accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars while selling litters of puppies from fighting bloodlines and “stud fees” for the right to breed with one of his male dogs.

Johnson, a Northern Illinois product and 1994 third-round pick of the Packers, reportedly could have been given a maximum of five years in prison per count. Federal prosecutors recommended a 10-year sentence, according to ESPN.

Following Johnson’s sentencing on Thursday, his attorney, Billy Coyle IV, told ESPN that he had asked that his client receive probation. In a pre-sentence memorandum, Coyle reportedly argued, in part, that Johnson is is a “medically compromised human being” who suffers from dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

That memo, per ESPN, also claimed Johnson endured “multiple concussions and traumatic brain injuries from his football career.” Court documents state that Johnson had a daily caretaker the past two years, as reported by ESPN, which noted that Coyle said he wasn’t using that as a reason for Johnson not to accept responsibility.

Johnson appeared in 62 NFL games. He logged 253 rushing attempts and 955 yards on the ground. He totaled 1,389 yards from scrimmage and seven total touchdowns.

His best season came in 1996, when he ran for 634 yards with the Cardinals. He finished his playing career in the XFL.