Tulsa Dogfighter Griffin Gets 17.5 Years After Golf Club Beating, Dead Dog Found

A 44-year-old Tulsa man who ran a dogfighting operation called West Camp was sentenced Wednesday to 210 months — roughly 17.5 years — in federal prison, capping a case that began with a drug tip and ended with investigators finding a dead dog covered in scars and open wounds inside his home. Julius Deane Griffin will also serve three years of supervised release once he gets out.

U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill handed down the sentence in the Northern District of Oklahoma, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. As KOKH reports, Griffin was charged with five counts, including possession of dogs for an animal fighting venture, causing a person under 16 to attend an animal fighting venture, assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country, and tampering with evidence.

At sentencing, prosecutors presented graphic images and videos of injured and fighting dogs, the station's report notes, including footage that appeared to show a lifeless dog muzzled with duct tape being attacked by another animal. Investigators who searched Griffin's Tulsa home found 17 pit bulls and other fighting dogs, some with missing or damaged body parts, visible scars and open wounds. One dog was found dead, its injuries consistent with dogfighting.

A Raid That Started With a Drug Tip

The case did not begin as an animal cruelty investigation. Law enforcement officers started looking into Griffin for drug activities in 2024, per the same account, and that inquiry eventually led to the April 21, 2025 raid on his home. According to the Justice Department, the multi-agency operation was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service and the USDA Office of Inspector General, following the 2024 drug probe that the Creek County Sheriff's Office had initiated.

Beyond the dogs, agents seized more than 700 grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms, a drug ledger, Narcan, and custom apparel promoting Griffin's West Camp kennel, the Justice Department said. Investigators also recovered $16,000 in cash along with electronic devices, dogfighting trophies, treadmills, kennels, digital scales, dog food, injectable steroids, syringes and dog medications, according to KOKH.

Social Media Evidence and a Child at the Fights

Agents obtained access to Griffin's social media accounts, which the Justice Department says produced video evidence showing a minor cheering during an active dog fight — evidence that helped support the charge accusing Griffin of causing a person under 16 to attend an animal fighting venture. Griffin fought dogs under the West Camp name, and prosecutors said he used those same accounts to advertise fights and take wagers.

A Beating With a Golf Club

The federal case against Griffin wasn't limited to animals. He admitted to assaulting a woman by hitting her several times with a golf club, according to KOKH's report. The Justice Department said the attack, prosecuted as assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country, left the victim with a fractured wrist, a swollen ankle, lacerations to her arm and knee, and acute rib pain.

U.S. Attorney Chris Nassar said Griffin “engaged in a sustained pattern of harming animals and people alike,” per KOKH. Nassar also said Griffin tried to destroy evidence of his crimes after being brought to justice, and added that dogfighting and domestic violence “will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Oklahoma.”

A Long History of Repeat Offenses

Griffin's federal case did not emerge in a vacuum. He was previously convicted in 2005 on state dog-fighting charges involving more than 40 dogs, receiving a five-year sentence of which he served approximately two years, according to the Justice Department. Federal sentencing records placed him in the highest criminal history category due to more than 21 prior convictions, including six assault and domestic assault-related crimes dating back to 2009.

National advocacy group Animal Wellness Action described the 17.5-year term as one of the most consequential federal prison sentences ever handed down to a dogfighter in the United States. The group's framing underscores how rare a sentence of this length is under federal animal fighting law, even as Griffin's case shows how such prosecutions increasingly fold in narcotics and violent crime charges.

Care for the Surviving Dogs

Of the animals pulled from Griffin's property, 17 survived. Their medical treatment and long-term care were coordinated through the U.S. Marshals Service National Seized Animal Program, City of Tulsa Animal Services, and the Humane Society of Tulsa, the Justice Department said, a collaboration that reflects how local shelters often absorb the long-term burden of caring for animals rescued in federal raids.

Griffin's prosecution also arrived amid broader federal scrutiny of animal fighting operations across Oklahoma. As Animals 24-7 reported, Griffin's bust was unsealed just weeks after federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Oklahoma indicted former NFL player Leshon Johnson for allegedly possessing 190 pit bulls for fighting.