Officials: 2 South Jersey men charged with operating dogfighting ring
The two men trained and fought pit bull-type dogs and killed dogs who underperformed, officers added.
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Two men from southern New Jersey are accused of operating a dogfighting ring, according to Homeland Security Investigations.
Authorities say that 43-year-old Tommy “Snakes” Watson and 34-year-old Johnnie Lee Nelson “conspired with others to violate the Animal Welfare Act.” The pair are accused of fighting, training, transporting and possessing dogs in “dogfighting ventures” from August 2017 through March 2019.
Officials say that Watson and others operated the ring known as “From Da Bottom Kennels,” which “posted bloodline information of fighting dogs owned by the kennel on the dogfighting website ‘Peds Online.’”
The men also allegedly broadcast the graphic images on the app Telegram, in a group chat with other dogfighters.
The men both face multiple years in prison and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
