A former NFL running back who once carried the ball for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants is headed to federal prison after authorities seized the largest number of dogs from a single individual in a federal dogfighting case. LeShon Johnson, 55, was sentenced to five years in prison for operating Mal Kant Kennels, a breeding and fighting operation based out of his properties in Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma.
The sentence follows Johnson's conviction on six federal charges, including three counts of possessing a dog for use in an animal fighting venture, two counts of selling a dog for that purpose, and one count of selling, transporting and delivering a dog for an animal fighting venture, according to AL.com. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $30,000 fine. Federal agents seized 190 pit bull-type dogs from his properties in 2023, according to 5NEWS.
A Repeat Offender With a New Name
Johnson's history with dogfighting stretches back more than two decades. He pleaded guilty to state animal fighting charges connected to his former operation, Krazyside Kennels, in Hughes County, Oklahoma, in 2004, and received a five-year deferred sentence that year, according to ArcaMax. But trial evidence showed he resumed running a commercial breeding and dogfighting operation as early as 2007, this time under the name Mal Kant Kennels, per the same account.
Federal prosecutors established that Johnson generated hundreds of thousands of dollars through the operation by charging stud fees and selling puppies bred from what he marketed as champion fighting bloodlines, shipped to buyers across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He advertised dogs as champions if they had won three staged fights, and as grand champions after five wins. Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said Johnson would face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dogfighting scheme, according to AL.com.
Trial, Verdict and a Health Defense
A federal jury in Muskogee, Oklahoma, convicted Johnson on all six counts in August 2025 following a multi-day trial and more than eight hours of jury deliberation, according to Ponca City Now. Johnson finished his NFL career, which ran from 1994 through 1999, with 253 rushing attempts for 955 yards and five touchdowns across 62 games, along with 43 receptions for 434 yards and two touchdowns, per AL.com. He was drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 1994 NFL Draft out of Northern Illinois.
At sentencing, the defense argued about seized items and alleged prosecutorial bias, as reported by ArcaMax. Dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states, Woodward said, according to AL.com's coverage of the case.
Advocates Say the Sentence Falls Short
Each felony count of animal fighting under Section 26 of the federal Animal Welfare Act, 7 U.S.C. § 2156, and 18 U.S.C. § 49 carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to five years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000, according to Animals 24-7. Federal law penalizes possessing, selling, transporting or delivering animals for fighting ventures.
Animal Wellness Action president Wayne Pacelle publicly criticized the five-year term as too lenient, arguing that a repeat offender running a nationwide dogfighting network should have received double the prison time, per Animal Wellness Action. The group maintains that maximum custodial sentences are necessary to deter organized dogfighting syndicates.
What Happened to the 190 Dogs
Upon his conviction in August 2025, Johnson formally surrendered all 190 seized dogs to the federal government, placing their care under the U.S. Marshals Service asset forfeiture program during civil forfeiture proceedings, the Justice Department said. The Marshals Service cares for seized dogs through its asset-forfeiture program during federal prosecutions. The 190-dog seizure represented the largest from a single individual in a federal dogfighting investigation, per AL.com.
The prosecution was spearheaded by the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division Environmental Crimes Section, alongside the FBI's New Orleans Field Office and Shreveport Resident Agency, according to the Department of Justice.
Part of a Broader Oklahoma Crackdown
Johnson's case is one of several recent federal dogfighting prosecutions in Eastern Oklahoma. Tulsa dogfighter Julius Deane Griffin received 17.5 years after a golf club beating in a separate case in August 2026.
