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Third Man Sentenced in Animal Fighting Venture

U.S. Attorney’s Office December 13, 2010
  • Western District of New York (716) 843-5700

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Dwayne Nelson, 41, of Buffalo New York, who was convicted of sponsoring an animal in an animal fighting venture, was sentenced to three years’ probation and six months of home detention by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who handled the case, stated that Nelson was convicted of sponsoring and exhibiting an animal in an animal fighting venture for the purposes of sport, wagering, and entertainment. Specifically, the defendant allowed a dog he controlled to enter into a dog fight with another dog. Nelson wagered and lost approximately $4,000 on the fight. Prior to this fight, he had fought his dog against other dogs and kept track of his fighting history on an Internet website. This case is related to the recent conviction of Edward Bishop and Leon Nelson, who were also involved in the dog fight.

The sentencing was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-In-Charge James H. Robertson. Additionally, this case, and the cases of Edward Bishop and Leon Nelson, represent the first convictions obtained by the recently formed Western New York Animal Fighting Task Force, composed of members of the United States Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Postal Inspection Service, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County SPCA, Chautauqua County Humane Society, and City of Buffalo Animal Shelter.

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