A Louisiana man was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison for dogfighting, according to federal officials.
Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, plead guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture on June 30, 2021.
“Dogfighting is a particularly cruel form of animal abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Turner bred dogs solely to abuse them, through inhumane training methods and violent fights that left them scarred, severely injured or dead. These dogs deserved better. As this prosecution demonstrates, those who engage in this abhorrent conduct will be brought to justice.”
According to court documents, Turner possessed and trained dogs for the purpose of having them participate in animal fighting ventures.
On telephone calls obtained via court-authorized wiretaps, Turner and others discussed gambling on dog fights, arranging and participating in dog fights.
In addition, they discussed sponsoring and exhibiting dogs in dog fights, training, and housing dogs for the purposes of dogfighting, commerce in and transport of fighting dogs, and the promotion of dog fights, officials stated.
In October 2017, a federal law enforcement team consisting of agents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other agencies executed a search warrant on Turner’s residence in Loranger.
During the search, 33 dogs were found on the property, many of which had injuries, scarring, and fresh wounds.
Law enforcement also discovered a large collection of dogfighting paraphernalia, including:
- A water tank equipped to force dogs to swim to condition them for fighting
- An electrified prod used in conjunction with the water tank
- Two treadmills equipped to force dogs to run to condition them for fighting
- Ledgers containing the weights and prices of dogs
- “Break sticks” and “flirt poles,” training equipment intended to enhance dogs’ jaw strength
- Pedigrees for the fighting dogs Turner bred
- Photographs of dogs in inhumane conditions.
“Animal cruelty is a heinous crime that deserves our ultimate condemnation and serious legal consequences for those who engage in it for ‘sport’ and/or profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Division.