Vick bankrolled dogfighting, co-defendant says in plea deal

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By CHRISTINA NUCKOLS AND DAVE FORSTER, The Virginian-Pilot

© July 31, 2007

RICHMOND

A co-defendant told federal prosecutors that NFL star Michael Vick "almost exclusively funded" a dogfighting operation and provided the money to bet on matches, according to court documents related to the man's guilty plea.

In a deal with prosecutors, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge that he conspired with Vick, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips to create a dogfighting venture in 2001.

Taylor left the operation, Bad Newz Kennels, in September 2004 "following a disagreement with Phillips and others," according to a summary of facts filed with his guilty plea.

Taylor told U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson that he voluntarily confessed to committing the crime in partnership with Peace, Phillips and Vick, an Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Newport News native. He has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify at the trial of his co-defendants.

For Vick and the remaining co-defendants, Taylor's deal means it's "time to be a bit nervous," said Paul Marcus, a law professor at the College of William and Mary's school of law.

"As soon as one person decides to turn government witness, it can get pretty frightening for the others," said Marcus, who has written a book on prosecuting and defending criminal conspiracies.

Each defendant faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Taylor's plea agreement did not promise any reduction in that sentence, but prosecutors said they would not pursue any more federal charges against him.

"You're pleading guilty and taking your chances, you understand that?" Hudson asked Taylor during a 15-minute hearing.

"Yes, all right," Taylor replied.

All four had pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Thursday.

Meanwhile, Vick went on the air Monday with an Atlanta radio station and said he was hurting not to be with his team. Vick has been ordered to stay away from the Falcons' training camp until the NFL completes its own investigation.

"It's a crisis situation for me, but I'm going to get through it, and like I said - by the grace of God - that's about the only way," Vick told V-103, which posted a clip of the interview on its Web site.

The interviewer said during the segment that she could not ask Vick legal questions about the case at the request of his attorneys.

Vick said he hoped to return to the field "under the right circumstances " and that his mother, who lives in Suffolk, was doing well "because I'm keeping a smile on my face."

"It's something that God put me through in my life to help me see what, you know, to get to the next part of my life and, you know, I'm just thankful for that, that I learned a lot from this situation," he said.

Vick and his co-defendants are accused of using a rural Surry County property that Vick bought in 2001 as the base for the dogfighting operation. The indictment in the case said the men killed many of the dogs that lost or showed poor fighting potential. Some of the dogs were drowned, shot, electrocuted or hanged.

A 13-page statement of facts filed with Taylor's plea describes eight matches that he says Vick attended or sponsored between late 2002 and 2004, with dogs named Jane, Big Boy, Zebro, Magic, Tiny and Too Short.

Taylor, Phillips and, sometimes, Peace, generally split the gambling proceeds from the fights, the document says. Taylor used a large portion of his winnings for living expenses, since he spent much of his time caring for and training the fighting dogs, according to court documents.

The men funneled some of the money back into the dogfighting operation to pay for dog food, medicine and other supplies, the summary says.

The group put the name Bad Newz Kennels to the operation in early 2002, according to the document.

"At one point, the defendants obtained shirts and headbands representing and promoting their affiliation with 'Bad Newz Kennels,' "the summary says.

Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., one of Vick's five defense attorneys, said he had no comment Monday when asked about Taylor's plea deal and the new details that were made public.

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 14. A Nov. 26 trial date is set for the remaining defendants.

Taylor did not speak with reporters as he left the courthouse Monday in downtown Richmond. He waded through a crowd of media and protesters and jumped into a black Nissan Altima.