More Bad News for Falcons' Vick
NFL Star's Co-defendants to Plead Guilty in Seamy Dog Fighting Case
Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick has until Friday to plead guilty to federal dog fighting charges or face more of the same.
ESPN is reporting that federal prosecutors have told Vicks’ attorneys that they are prepared to file more charges against the beleaguered NFL star if he doesn’t plea bargain with the government. The news surfaced hard on the heels of word that two of Vick’s co-defendants will enter guilty pleas at the end of the week.
The Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Va., reported late Monday that Purnell A. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va., is scheduled to enter a plea at 9 a.m. Thursday in the federal courtroom of District Judge Henry Hudson in Richmond, Va. Co-defendant Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, is slated to enter a plea Friday.
Vick’s third co-defendant in the seamy case, 34-year-old Tony Taylor of Hampton, Va., pleaded guilty July 29 to single counts of conspiring to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in animal-fighting ventures. All four men entered not guilty pleas in late July in response to a grisly, 18-page, federal indictment released July 17. Vick is scheduled to be tried on the charges beginning Nov. 26.
A spokesman for Vick’s attorneys said Monday night that the lawyers would speak with the star, 27-year-old quarterback and see if he wanted to bargain with the feds. All indications however are that Vick will probably proceed to trial on the charges, which could result in a six-year jail sentence and $350,000 in fines.
Vick – who set a single-season National Football League rushing record last season – allegedly purchased property in Smithfield, Va., located by Taylor, to establish a business known as “Bad Newz Kennels” in order to operate an interstate dog fighting operation run from the Surry County, Va. estate.
After Taylor entered his plea a federal affidavit that implicated Vick even further in the case was released. The 13-page statement of facts alleged that the charges against the four men are true. Included within the document are allegations that the men gambled on the dogs in Virginia and several other states. Vick, an ex-Virginia Tech football star who has a $130 million contract with the Falcons, supposedly sponsored dogs in fights with purses from $3,000 upward.
Taylor also affirmed that Vick almost exclusively ponied up the money for the dog-fighting operation and gambling. The winnings were shared by Taylor, Phillips and Peace. All three allegedly executed dogs who didn’t perform well in the fights. Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 14. He agreed to testify against the other three men charged in the case. It is expected that Peace and Phillips will also agree to testify against Vick.
Vick has been suspended by the NFL for pre-season training and the league is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the charges. An NFL spokesman Monday denied that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall has already determined that he will suspend Vick for the season, contrary to published reports over this past weekend. He has already lost numerous endorsement deals as the result of the charges.
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