Joe Rogalsky, The Examiner
2007-08-22 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Michael Vick may face legal jeopardy well beyond federal felony charges, experts say, as two states continue to investigate the football star’s purported involvement with brutal dogfighting operations.

The federal charges against Vick stemmed from activity in Virginia. They remain under state investigation. But three alleged accomplices have told authorities that they and the quarterback attended a dogfighting event in South Carolina where the owners of winning dogs received $1,500.

The South Carolina attorney general’s office has placed a heavy emphasis on prosecuting dogfighting cases in recent years as a way of reducing high domestic violence rates. The maximum penalty for dogfighting in South Carolina is five years in prison. An owner of a dogfighting ring received 30 years in prison in 2004 after being convicted on six counts.

“That is not the place to fight dogs,” said John Goodwin, an animal-fighting expert for the Humane Society of the United States.

William Frick, who prosecuted the 2004 South Carolina case, said a judge would likely give Vick a jail sentence, though not necessarily the maximum, if the Newport News, Va. native is convicted. If that happens, Frick said, Vick would probably be allowed to serve the state sentence concurrently with his federal penalty, meaning he may be able to avoid additional months or years behind bars.

“I’ve seen people get two to three years, and every now and then all someone gets is probation,” Frick said. “Though typically people convicted of dogfighting in South Carolina get jail time.”

If he is convicted in Virginia of state dogfighting charges, Vick faces up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. Vick and his three codefendants allegedly housed and trained fighting dogs on property the quarterback owned in Southeastern Virginia’s Surry County.

Vick is also facing punishment from the NFL, which is conducting an independent investigation of the quarterback’s alleged activity. Commissioner Roger Goodell has not said when he will announce Vick’s suspension. Goodell is expected to wait until he sees the investigation’s findings and reads documents filed during Monday’s plea hearing before deciding how long the suspension will last.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com