Plea deals boost prosecution's leverage against Vick

[Old School]

By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer
August 14, 2007

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Prosecutors have more leverage against Michael Vick now that his remaining two co-defendants decided to plead guilty while he has maintained his innocence in a federal dogfighting conspiracy case.

"He's hanging out there by himself, and that's a very uncomfortable place to be," said Anne Coughlin, a University of Virginia School of Law professor and expert on criminal procedure.

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A spokesman for Vick's lawyers declined comment Tuesday on media reports quoting unnamed sources as saying prosecutors and the defense were negotiating a possible plea agreement, and that Vick faced a Friday deadline to either accept a deal or face additional charges.

But the spokesman, Collins R. Spencer III, didn't rule out the possibility of an announcement by the Vick team sometime this week, probably in Richmond, where the case is pending in U.S. District Court.

Spencer, contacted as he left the office of Vick attorney Daniel L. Meachum in Atlanta, would not elaborate on the nature of the possible announcement. Neither Meachum nor attorney William R. Martin, leader of the five-member defense team, returned phone messages.


Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, is set to appear in federal court in Richmond on Thursday and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, on Friday.

Last month, co-defendant Tony Taylor of Hampton pleaded guilty to his role in a dogfighting conspiracy he says was financed almost entirely by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback. As part of a plea agreement, Taylor is required to cooperate with the prosecution in the case against Vick.

When Taylor agreed to testify against Vick, Coughlin said the prosecution's hand became so much stronger that an average person in Vick's shoes likely would plead guilty. With Vick's NFL career on the line and a high-powered defense team on his side, Coughlin said she initially could see him fighting to the end.

"Once you have the testimony of the other two, it's hard to imagine how Michael Vick can stand alone and emerge successfully," she said. "It's one of the most frightening positions you can be in."

Vick, 27, and the other three pleaded not guilty last month to running an interstate dogfighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" on Vick's property in rural Surry County.

For now, Vick's trial remains scheduled for Nov. 26. The charges include conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Taylor is facing the same maximum punishment, although he probably will get substantially less because of sentencing guidelines and his cooperation with prosecutors.



Updated on Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 7:02 pm, EDT


as I said in the very begining..

STAY TUNED...

The Feds haven't even hit him w/ the rest of the findings yet..

 

[Old School]

Vick's legal team negotiating plea deal

Vick's legal team negotiating plea deal

August 14, 2007
ATLANTA (Ticker) - Michael Vick's attorneys are attempting to negotiate a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on dogfighting charges, according to a report in Tuesday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The news comes less than 24 hours after two of Vick's co-defendants in the case pair will plead guilty to federal conspiracy dogfighting charges and testify against the Atlanta Falcons' star quarterback.

Citing sources, the newspaper reported that Vick was expected to hold a conference call with his attorneys Tuesday and that an announcement could be forthcoming later in the day.
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Collins Spencer, a spokesman for Vick's lawyers, declined comment on any negotiations.

On Monday, Spencer told the Journal-Constitution that Vick's attorneys were "very surprised" to learn of the reported plea deals by Purnell A. Peace and Quanis L. Phillips.


Peace has a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning while Phillips has a hearing set for Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia.

On July 26, another of Vick's co-defendants, Troy Taylor, entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. According to the Journal-Constitution, Taylor also signed a document alleging the charges against Vick and two others are true.

The four men allegedly formed the business called "Bad Newz Kennels" that are charged with federal conspiracy dogfighting charges.

With three of his co-defendants set to testify against him, Vick had added motivation to reach a plea agreement.

Last month, the U.S. Attorney's office announced it will seek a new "Superseding" indictment against the embattled quarterback by the end of August.

That will likely lead to additional charges against Vick unless he can reach an agreement by the end of this week, the newspaper reported.

Kent Alexander, a former U.S. Attorney in Atlanta and now the general counsel at Emory University, told the newspaper that the plea hearings could be devastating for Vick.

"There's no telling until the actual pleas, but this doesn't sound like good news for Michael Vick," Alexander said. "Usually, if people plead guilty early in a case, they may be cooperating with the government. That's what it sounds like here."


The 34-year-old Taylor will now be sentenced on December 14.

The trial date for Vick, Peace and Phillips was set for November 26.

Each faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, although legal experts told the Journal-Constitution that prosecutors could recommend a more lenient sentence against Taylor depending on his level of cooperation.





Updated on Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 8:54 pm, EDT

 

[Old School]

Vick must decide whether to accept plea agreement

Vick must decide whether to accept plea agreement

Lawyers representing Michael Vick on federal dogfighting charges are trying to negotiate a plea agreement that would include less than the year of prison time that prosecutors have offered, ESPN learned on Tuesday.

A source also said that Vick's attorneys have recommended that the embattled quarterback accept a deal if it includes less than a year of jail time, but he has not decided whether to fight the charges.

Vick's situation became more tenous on Monday night when two more co-defendants decided to cooperate with the government. Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips are scheduled to appear in federal court in Richmond on Friday to accept plea agreements. That clears them to testify against Vick.

Collins R. Spencer III, a spokesman for Vick's lawyers, said they were surprised by the plea deals.


"They didn't see it coming," Spencer said.

Sources told ESPN's Kelly Naqi that Vick attorneys Larry Woodward and Billy Martin met with federal prosecutor Michael Gill and the investigators on Monday afternoon.


In a Richmond, Va., court in late July, Vick pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. He said in a written statement that he looked forward to "clearing my good name." He also pleaded with the public to resist a rush to judgment.

Another of Vick's co-defendants, 34-year-old Tony Taylor, pleaded guilty to the same charges and has pledged to fully cooperate with the government in its prosecution of Vick and the two others. The plea deal requires Taylor to testify against Vick and his two remaining co-defendants if called upon to do so.

A source close to the investigation told Naqi that Vick has until Friday to make up his mind whether to accept a plea agreement. Otherwise a superseding indictment will be filed and Vick will face at least two more federal dogfighting charges.

Meanwhile, the NFL dismissed a report Sunday that said commissioner Roger Goodell was close to announcing a season-long suspension of Vick.

Citing two sources within the league, Yahoo.com reported late Sunday night that Goodell will announce "this week or next" that Vick will be suspended for the 2007 season.

"That's the direction it's going and has been from the time this started," one of the sources said this week, according to Yahoo. "The plan was to make sure it was announced before the season. Given what everybody has seen from what [league] security found and what the feds are telling us, there's really no choice."

Eric Holder, a former deputy attorney general retained by the league, is still gathering facts on Vick's alleged involvement in dogfighting, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday.


"The commissioner has not made any decision," Aiello said.

The gruesome details outlined in the July 17 indictment have fueled public protests against Vick and prompted the suspension of some of his lucrative endorsement deals. The summary of facts signed by Taylor supports the indictment's claims that the dogfighting ring on Vick's property in Surry County, Va., executed underperforming dogs by drowning, hanging and other brutal means. Taylor admitted shooting one dog and electrocuting another when they did not perform well in test fights in the summer of 2002.

Vick has been barred from Falcons training camp by Goodell while the league conducts its investigation.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback on July 24.

Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said he has not spoken with his players about Vick's troubles since camp opened.


"I'm not ready to respond to anything regarding Michael because I know nothing new," Petrino said.


Falcons running back Warrick Dunn, Vick's teammate since 2002, said he recently spoke with the 27-year-old quarterback to offer support. Dunn added, however, that the players have no choice but to move ahead and prepare for the Sept. 9 season opener at Minnesota.


"I don't think anybody on this team right now is hoping that Mike comes back," Dunn said. "If he comes back, that's great, but I just think right now we're at point where the guys that are here are trying to get better and move on down the road. Mike is going to be missed and has been missed, but at the same time you have to go on."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

[Old School]

Updated: August 15, 5:59 PM ET

Updated: August 15, 5:59 PM ET

Facing increasing pressure to strike a deal with prosecutors, Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick conferred with his attorneys for hours Wednesday.

"The defense and Michael are meeting," Collins R. Spencer III, a spokesman for Vick's five lawyers, said Wednesday afternoon.

At least some of the parties were participating by telephone in a meeting that began in late morning and continued well into the afternoon, he said.


"It seems they're going to be talking a while," Spencer said.

Prosecutors were not involved in the meeting, he said.

The conference call came two days after Vick's two remaining co-defendants scheduled plea hearings, presumably agreeing to testify against Vick if his federal dogfighting conspiracy case goes to trial as scheduled Nov. 26.

On Tuesday ESPN learned that lawyers representing Vick were trying to negotiate a plea agreement that would include less than the year of prison time that prosecutors had offered.

A source also said that Vick's attorneys had recommended that the embattled quarterback accept a deal if it includes less than a year of jail time, but he had not decided whether to fight the charges.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen learned on Wednesday that commissioner Roger Goodell refuses to negotiate with Vick representatives regarding a suspension from the league. He is waiting for Vick to appear in court and for the league's investigation to be completed.

Vick may want to know what the league will do if he accepts certain plea agreements; however, the commissioner refuses to tip his hand. The league dismissed an earlier report that the commissioner was planning to suspend Vick for the season this week or next.

Vick's situation became more tenous when two other co-defendants decided to cooperate with the government. Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips are scheduled to appear in federal court in Richmond on Friday to accept plea agreements.

The hearing for Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va., had originally been set for 9 a.m. Thursday before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. The case has been rescheduled for 9:15 a.m. Friday, 15 minutes after the hearing for Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta.
Spencer said they were surprised by the plea deals.



"They didn't see it coming," Spencer said.

Sources told ESPN's Kelly Naqi that Vick attorneys Larry Woodward and Billy Martin met with federal prosecutor Michael Gill and the investigators on Monday afternoon.


In a Richmond, Va., court in late July, Vick pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities, and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. He said in a written statement that he looked forward to "clearing my good name." He also pleaded with the public to resist a rush to judgment.

Another of Vick's co-defendants, 34-year-old Tony Taylor, pleaded guilty to the same charges and has pledged to fully cooperate with the government in its prosecution of Vick and the two others. The plea deal requires Taylor to testify against Vick and his two remaining co-defendants if called upon to do so.


A source close to the investigation told Naqi that Vick has until Friday to make up his mind whether to accept a plea agreement. Otherwise a superseding indictment will be filed and Vick will face at least two more federal dogfighting charges.

Scott Sundby, a professor at the Washington & Lee University Law School and a former special assistant U.S. attorney in Miami, said Vick could cut a deal even after a superseding indictment is issued -- but the terms would be less favorable.

"Prosecutors tend to be more lenient early and more hard-nosed later," he said.

 

[Old School]

Two more plea deals spell serious trouble for Vick

Two more plea deals spell serious trouble for Vick

By Lester Munson
ESPN.com

Two of Michael Vick's co-defendants in a massive dogfighting conspiracy indictment have indicated they will plead guilty and might testify against Vick in a trial that begins Nov. 26 in Richmond, Va. Purnell Peace, 35, and Quanis Phillips, 28, will appear before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson later this week to admit their participation in a scheme of breeding, training, fighting and executing pit bull terriers that went on for six years in five states. Their actions raise a number of questions for Vick, who is considering his own plea. Here are some of the questions and the answers:


What do these anticipated guilty pleas mean for Vick?

These developments are terrible news for Vick. He already was caught in a bad situation with five witnesses ready to testify against him. The five included four who cooperated early with the government and helped federal prosecutors with the devastating details in the 18-page indictment. Then, two weeks ago, Tony Taylor, another of Vick's co-defendants, agreed to admit guilt and testify against Vick. Taylor, according to the indictment, worked with Vick to establish the dogfighting operation less than eight weeks after Vick signed his first NFL contract. Adding Peace and Phillips to these five witnesses leaves Vick in a legal checkmate. He is surrounded by hostile forces. There might be no escape from the brutal charges against him. Peace and Phillips are mentioned a total of 94 times in the indictment. Their testimony puts Vick in the middle of the scheme from its beginning in June 2001 until it ended with a police raid this past April.

With seven witnesses lined up against him, what should Vick do?

Vick should be assessing the same realities that led Peace and Phillips to plead guilty. Sources have told ESPN that Vick is deciding whether to consider the possibility of a prison sentence of less than one year. Government prosecutors want a prison sentence of more than one year, according to ESPN sources, and Vick's lawyers have suggested to him that he seriously consider a prison sentence of less than one year. Vick has a difficult decision to make. Unless he is caught in some level of denial or delusion, Vick must be looking hard at the idea of admitting guilt and considering an outcome that would allow him to preserve some fraction of his career in the NFL. Vick has the money and the lawyers to put up a powerful fight, but they are up against a massive and impressive investigation as well as the seven witnesses. Billy Martin, Vick's lead lawyer, has done wonders in a courtroom, but the government's case against Vick provides scant opportunity for creating the kind of "reasonable doubt" that can lead to a not guilty verdict. A jury likely would be outraged by the brutality of the evidence and impressed with its substance and its gravity. It would not be a big surprise if Vick enters a guilty plea within the next several days.

Why would Vick's friends and cohorts in the alleged dogfighting enterprise decide to admit their guilt?

It must have been difficult for Peace and Phillips to decide to admit their culpability and agree to testify against Vick. It was Vick's name and money that made the alleged operation possible. Peace and Phillips are high school dropouts who, according to the indictment, performed various chores for Bad Newz Kennels for six years, enjoying the excitement of the dark side of celebrity. Without Vick, none of it would have been possible. Both must have felt they owed Vick something, but both decided to help themselves even if it meant hurting Vick. Their decisions will allow them to avoid the cost and the agony of a trial and reduce their possible time in prison. Their decisions were based on difficult realities. If the case goes to trial, the prosecutors will suggest that their decisions were painful acts of integrity that will help eradicate dogfighting in America.

What will happen now to Peace and Phillips?

When they appear in court in Richmond later this week, Peace and Phillips will present signed plea agreements to Hudson. They will promise to tell the entire truth about the alleged dogfighting operation to agents of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and federal prosecutors. In return, they will claim they are entitled to leniency in the sentences that result from their admissions. Both have prior criminal convictions and face serious prison time under federal sentencing guidelines. If they help the government and are not caught in any lies, they can expect their prison time to be cut in half.

What's next? Can it get any worse for Vick?

Yes, it could get worse in a hurry. The federal prosecutors in Richmond are preparing a new set of charges, known in legal terms as a superseding indictment. The new charges could come any day. The new charges might include a racketeering allegation under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (known as RICO). RICO originally was designed as a weapon against organized-crime hoodlums but has been used frequently in other prosecutions. A charge under RICO would make Vick's situation significantly worse. It would make the government's case against him easier to prove, and it would increase the prison sentence Vick would face if convicted.

Lester Munson, a Chicago lawyer and journalist who has been reporting on investigative and legal issues in the sports industry for 18 years, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

 

[3 Seconds]

Good

Send his ass to prison & let him think about the f;ed shit he pulled.

Hoping a 2 year ban from the NFL can happen.

 

[Old School]

Co-defendants provide dramatic evidence

Co-defendants provide dramatic evidence

On Friday morning, the last two of Michael Vick's co-defendants in a federal dogfighting case -- Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace -- pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. They now add their names and their knowledge to testimony from four cooperating witnesses and Tony Taylor, a co-defendant who earlier agreed to testify against Vick. With the evidence piling up against the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback, where does that leave the case? Here are the latest questions and answers.

Now that they have pleaded guilty, what do Peace and Phillips provide to the government's case against Vick that wasn't there before?

Both of Vick's former cohorts in the alleged dogfighting scheme will bring dramatic and powerful testimony against Vick. The most difficult testimony for Vick to counter will be Peace's description of a doubleheader dogfight in March 2003. According to the "Summary of the Facts" that Peace signed as part of his plea agreement, Vick and Peace entered two dogs from Bad Newz Kennels in that fight. Both lost. If the Vick case goes to trial, Peace will testify in front of the judge and jury that he and Vick "executed the dog by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal." That isn't all. Peace and Phillips will describe eight more executions during 2004 and 2005, all of them occurring on Vick's compound in Surry County, Va. All eight dogs flunked fighting tests. Some were drowned. Others were hung. And one was killed -- with Vick allegedly present -- by "slamming its body into the ground."

When testimony from Peace and Phillips is added to the testimony from Taylor, the government's case against Vick appears to be overwhelming. The seven witnesses can describe the alleged dogfighting scheme from its inception in 2001, less than eight weeks after Vick signed his first NFL contract, to its demise three months ago when police raided Vick's compound in rural Surry County. The seven witnesses allegedly can describe Vick building the dogfighting facility, buying dogs, breeding dogs, training dogs, betting on dogs, paying for everything and participating in gruesome executions of losing dogs.

What effect would testimony from Peace and Phillips have on a jury?

Their testimony will be brutal and horrifying. It is the kind of testimony that likely will transcend anything Vick might be able to offer in explanation or mitigation of the charges against him. Even if the jurors believe only half of what Peace and Phillips say, it could push Vick to the edge of a conviction and serious prison time. Their testimony might also force Vick to testify in the trial, something his lawyers likely want to avoid. Without a denial from Vick about what these guys say, Vick will be finished. If he does testify, he faces a nightmare of cross-examination from federal prosecutors armed with at least seven cooperating witnesses and six years of e-mails, documents and financial records from Bad Newz Kennels.

On the issues of money and gambling, what will Peace and Phillips offer against Vick?

They will join Taylor (the first co-defendant to plead guilty) in describing the critical roles of Vick's name and his money in the establishment and the financing of the 15-acre kennel compound. More importantly, Peace and Phillips will tell the jury that Vick was the gambler in the enterprise. He was the winner when they won and the loser when they lost. The bets that were made, were made with Vick's money. In his plea agreement, Taylor said Vick was the source of all funds, both for the operation and for the gambling. He said one of the cohorts made the side bets, but Vick took the wins and paid the losses.

Vick's participation in this form of gambling will cause him serious difficulty with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, as well as the government if a superseding indictment comes down and includes a felony gambling charge. Peace will describe Vick's payment of $23,000 in losses from the dogfight doubleheader in March 2003. Peace was present, he will testify, when Vick paid the money from a stash he kept in a book bag. Both Peace and Phillips will also describe Vick paying $11,000 in losses from a fight against a dog named "Trouble" in late 2003.

What can Vick expect from the NFL as this evidence piles up against him?


Peace and Phillips and their description of Vick's gambling add to an already difficult situation with the NFL. Vick reportedly told the commissioner face-to-face shortly after the first raid on his compound in April that he was not involved in dogfighting and gambling. The evidence of Vick's role in the kennel and his gambling now appears overwhelming. The last celebrity athlete to tell a commissioner face-to-face that he was not gambling despite a mountain of evidence against him was Pete Rose. The commissioner who listened to Rose's denial, Bart Giamatti, issued an order that banned Rose for life. Rose, of course, was betting on baseball while he managed the Reds. That was a more serious set of lies than Vick's alleged untruths, but lying to Goodell about gambling might do more damage to Vick's career than anything he did to the dogs.

Why would Vick hesitate to join Taylor, Peace and Phillips in admitting his guilt and accepting his punishment?

Vick has enjoyed six years of riches and celebrity. Obviously, he has vastly more to lose than his three alleged cohorts do. In a matter of three months, his focus has turned from succeeding as an NFL quarterback to potentially surviving time in a federal penitentiary. Instead of tens of millions of dollars in income, he is facing months of confinement if he admits his guilt. Most importantly, a plea of guilty and some prison time do not guarantee him a return to the NFL. If he is going to plead guilty in court, Vick and his lawyers want to settle with the NFL at the same time. They want an agreement that will allow Vick to return to the NFL.

Generally in multiparty negotiations such as this one, the lawyers refer to their goal as a "global settlement." It would resolve all issues, and the "global" adjective makes everyone sound important. A global settlement for Vick is unlikely, because Goodell is not interested in settling anything with Vick until the commissioner knows what will happen in the court action against the Falcons' quarterback. If Vick cannot use a plea of guilty to guarantee his return to the NFL, he may be looking hard at the idea of fighting the charges in a jury trial and hoping for a miracle.

Lester Munson, a Chicago lawyer and journalist who has been reporting on investigative and legal issues in the sports industry for 18 years, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.



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[Old School]

Falcons owner Blank shocked

Falcons owner Blank shocked

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer
August 17, 2007

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Falcons owner Arthur Blank accused Michael Vick of lying to him and the NFL after one of the NFL star's co-defendants said Friday that the quarterback took part in drowning and hanging dogs that didn't perform well.

"What's suggested in those statements of fact don't match up with what the league was told, even our organization and certainly not what was said to the commissioner," Blank told The Associated Press before Atlanta's preseason game against Buffalo.

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Blank's response came after two co-defendants in the federal dogfighting conspiracy case pleaded guilty earlier Friday, with one saying Vick helped in killing dogs.

"It's sad that those allegations exist and now they are confirmed by others," Blank said. "It's sad that Michael has put himself into that kind of situation. It's his responsibility for putting himself into that situation."

Blank said he will speak with commissioner Roger Goodell, and wait for the NFL to complete its investigation.

Vick's career is in jeopardy and he has been barred from joining the Falcons until the NFL completes its own investigation.

Blank told ESPN earlier that he expected Vick to submit his plea deal before the end of the day.

Blank would not repeat that statement in the interview with The Associated Press, except to say, "It seems a pretty clear indication there will be some sort of plea entered. When? I'm not positive."

Blank did say he was aware that negotiations were still taking place at 5 p.m.

Vick and his representatives have been having talks this past week. The decision to cut a deal would be regarded as an attempt for Vick to hold jail time under a year. His other option would be sitting through a trial, where the details would be revealed of what took place with a Virginia dogfighting operation known as "Bad Newz Kennels," which was allegedly funded by Vick and operated on his property.

The case began in April with a search of Vick's property in Surry County, a few miles from Vick's hometown of Newport News. Investigators seized dozens of pit bulls, some of them injured, and equipment typically used in dogfighting operations.

"From a personal perspective, it's just very sad," Blank said. "It's distressing after six years spending time with somebody, you think you know them and then there's another side that is shocking to all of us."

Associated Press freelance writer Bob Matuszak contributed to this report.



Updated on Friday, Aug 17, 2007 7:53 pm, EDT

 

[Old School]

Announcement on Vick decision ...

Announcement on Vick decision ...

Posted: 11 minutes ago
Announcement on Vick decision not expected over weekend
Associated Press


RICHMOND, Va. -- It appears Michael Vick is weighing his decision.

NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting that a plea decision on the federal dog-fighting case is not expected to be announced until Monday at the earliest.
With his NFL career in jeopardy and a superseding indictment in the works to add more charges in the works, that left Vick with a hard choice: Cutting his own deal to reduce jail time or go to trial and sit through detailed descriptions of the ghastly operation known as "Bad Newz Kennels."


Related news:

Vick plea announcement will wait | Video
Goodell: NFL will 'rely on facts' | Video
Blank distances himself from Vick
Vick, attorneys confer | Video
Video: Complete Vick coverage
Michael Vick: Profile, stats | Falcons team page

Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who distanced himself from Vick in comments prior to the the Falcons preseason game at Buffalo, said attorneys of the quarterback were negotiating with prosecutors as of late afternoon, trying to hammer out a plea deal.

"It seems to be a pretty clear indication there will be some sort of plea entered," Blank said. "When? I'm not positive."

Two of Vick's alleged cohorts in a grisly dogfighting case pleaded guilty Friday, and one said the Atlanta Falcons quarterback joined them in drowning and hanging dogs that underperformed.

Now that all three co-defendants have entered plea bargains, Vick is on his own to cut a deal or face trial on federal charges. One of his lawyers, Lawrence Woodward, attended Friday's hearings and declined to answer questions as he left the courthouse.

Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta entered plea agreements and joined defendant Tony Taylor of Hampton, who struck a similar deal last month. The agreements require the three to cooperate in the government's case against Vick.

Sentencing is scheduled for Peace and Phillips on Nov. 30 and Taylor on Dec. 14. According to federal sentencing guidelines, the three are facing jail terms between 12 and 18 months. Vick has been barred from training camp by the NFL and is to go on trial Nov. 26.

A statement signed by Phillips as part of his plea agreement said Vick participated in the execution of about eight dogs, some by drowning and hanging.

"Phillips agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick," the statement said.

Phillips and Peace also backed Taylor's assertion that Vick was involved in gambling.

Michael Vick timeline

April 25: Local authorities raid a property Vick owned in Surry County, Va., reportedly finding 66 dogs (mostly pit bulls), a dogfighting pit, bloodstained carpets and equipment associated with dogfighting.

May 29: Authorities obtain search warrant to look for as many as 30 dog carcasses that sources claimed were buried in various locations on the property. The warrant was never executed by Surry County officials.

June 7: Department of Agriculture executes search warrant at property, with the help of state police investigators, finding remains of seven dogs.

July 6: Federal investigators conduct second search at Vick property. Federal authorities file court documents in Richmond, obtained by The Associated Press, detailing aspects of the case for the first time. Vick was not named in those documents.

July 17: Vick indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegal dogfighting.

July 26: On the same day the Falcons begin training camp, Vick pleads not guilty to all charges at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond. Vick is released and a trial date is set for Nov. 26.

July 27: Nike suspends Vick?s endorsement deal without pay, Reebok stops sales of Vick?s No. 7 Falcons jersey and the trading-card company Donruss announces decision to pull Vick?s card from any future 2007 releases.

July 30: Tony Taylor, one of Vick?s three co-defendants, pleads guilty and says he will cooperate fully with federal authorities in the government?s case against Vick.

Aug. 17: The other two co-defendants, Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace, plead guilty to dogfighting charges, saying Vick helped execute poorly performing dogs in training sessions earlier this year.
"The 'Bad Newz Kennels' operation and gambling monies were almost exclusively funded by Vick," statements by the two men say.

Peace and Phillips were charged with conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture.

"Did you conspire with these folks to sponsor a dogfighting venture?" U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson asked Peace.

He replied, "Yes, sir."

The offenses are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but the exact sentence will be based largely on federal sentencing guidelines. Hudson told Peace and Phillips that certain elements of their offenses will increase their sentencing ranges.

"There are aggravating circumstances in this case, there's no doubt about it," he told Phillips.

While Peace was freed, Hudson found that Phillips violated terms of his release by failing a drug test and ordered him jailed. Phillips also is on probation for a drug conviction in Atlanta, and the guilty plea could mean more jail time in that case, Hudson said.

Any outcome that ties Vick to betting on the dogfights could trigger a lifetime ban from the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy.

The 27-year-old quarterback was linked to betting by a statement signed by Taylor, who pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government, and the July 17 indictment.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell withheld further action while the NFL conducts its own investigation. Goodell said Thursday the league hasn't been monitoring Vick's plea negotiations.

The four defendants all initially pleaded not guilty, and Vick issued a statement saying he looked forward to clearing his name.

A statement of facts signed by Taylor as part of his plea agreement placed Vick at the scene of several dogfights and linked him to betting. Taylor said Vick financed virtually all the "Bad Newz Kennels" operation on Vick's property in Surry County.

The case began with a search in April that turned up dozens of pit bulls and an assortment of dogfighting paraphernalia at the property, a few miles from Vick's hometown of Newport News.

According to the indictment, dogs that lost fights or fared poorly in test fights were sometimes executed by hanging, electrocution or other means.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

 

[dunclock]

Supposedly one of the plea defendants have pictures of Vick and three others standing around one of the dogs that had been killed:scared

He IS going to do time, the question is how much and what will be his future in the NFL:shrug:

 

[saint]

and what will be his future in the NFL:shrug:

Hopefully nothing.

To me, it's not so much the dog fighting thing. I find it ironic that dog-fighting charges get more of a gut reaction from our country than rape and murder. I'd like to see vick punished for being dumb enough to do something like this with a 100 million dollar contract. It's amazing to me he would risk it but for his stupidity I hope he pays.