First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea
Tells feds dogfighting operation 'almost exclusively funded' by QB
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First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea
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First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea -
First Down: Vick Cohort Cops Plea
JULY 30--An associate of Michael Vick's today pleaded guilty to his role in a brutal dogfighting ring and signed an agreement pledging to cooperate in the government's prosecution of the NFL star. Four days after being arraigned with Vick on a federal conspiracy rap, Tony 'T' Taylor, 34, entered his felony plea today during an appearance in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia. According to a statement of facts filed in court, Taylor copped to a key role in the operation of Bad Newz Kennels, the dog fighting ring that was allegedly headquartered at Virginia home purchased by the athlete in 2001. In the statement of facts, a copy of which you'll find below, Taylor implicates Vick, the Atlanta Falcons's star quarterback, in an array of criminal activity. While the Vick indictment charges that the athlete participated in killing dogs that performed poorly in fights or testing sessions, Taylor's statement of facts does not make a similar allegation against the player (though Taylor admitted once executing two dogs and claimed that codefendants Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips also killed pit bulls that failed in test fights). Taylor contends that Vick provided most of the gambling funds staked by Bad Newz Kennels when its dogs faced off with other pit bulls in fights in Virginia, New Jersey, and North Carolina. When a Bad Newz dog prevailed, Taylor said, the winnings were distributed between him and Peace and Phillips. By cooperating, Taylor is seeking leniency at his future sentencing, a so-called downward departure from federal sentencing guidelines that call for a five-year sentence on the conspiracy charge. (13 pages)
