Oscar Allen, a man who sold a female pit bull to Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation and attended some of the fights, avoided prison time Friday because he cooperated with investigators and did not physically harm any of the dogs.
Allen received three years probation and fined $500 for his limited involvement in the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring that operated out of Vick’s 15-acre spread in rural Surry County.
Vick, the suspended star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, was sentenced in December to 23 months in federal prison. Three co-defendants also have been sentenced to prison terms.
Allen, from the Williamsburg area, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce to aid in illegal gambling and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting — the same charge to which Vick and the other three men pleaded guilty.
Allen faced a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but federal prosecutors recommended that he spend no time in prison because he cooperated with investigators, had no prior criminal record and was a minor player in Vick’s dogfighting enterprise.
Prosecutors said that while Allen helped conduct test fights to determine which dogs were good fighters, he was not involved in killing the six to eight that performed poorly.
Vick, who admitted bankrolling the dogfighting operation and helping execute dogs, entered a minimum-security prison in Leavenworth, Kan., this month.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.