An Ohio man was sentenced Thursday to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to dogfighting and fentanyl distribution, officials stated.
He will serve nine months concurrent with, and 12 months after, the ten years he is already serving on the drug charges.
Michael Valentine, 40, of Bidwell, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of raising and training dogs for dogfighting and five counts related to fentanyl distribution.
He was sentenced on Jan. 26, 2023, to serve ten years in prison for the drug distribution charge. In total, Valentine will serve 11 years in prison, officials stated.
“Dogfighting is a barbaric offense that cruelly harms animals and endangers the surrounding community,” said Assistant
According to court documents, law enforcement first investigated Valentine for dogfighting offenses in 2019 after a dog attacked a small child living with him. That investigation led to a search warrant of Valentine’s residence and the seizure of 40 dogs. The search also recovered numerous items of dogfighting paraphernalia, including treadmills, veterinary supplies, and dogfighting videos.
On March 8, 2022, a second search warrant was executed at Valentine’s residence as part of a fentanyl distribution investigation.
That search revealed dog-fighting paraphernalia as well as two assault-style rifles.
In additio
n, a search of a nearby parcel of land revealed 677 grams of fentanyl and 69 grams of cocaine packaged for distribution, and an additional 11 dogs that Valentine was keeping for purposes of dogfighting. Valentine had previously sold 141 grams of fentanyl from the property.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Marous for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.