15+ Year Prison Sentence for Georgia Man in Dog Fighting, Drug Conspiracy Case

MACON, Ga. – A Fort Valley, Georgia, resident involved in two separate drug trafficking organizations and a multi-state dog fighting operation based in Middle Georgia was sentenced to serve more than 15 years in prison today, the final defendant of 21 co-conspirators resulting from two Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigations.

Armard Davis aka “Black Jack,” 43, of Fort Valley, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 190 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III in Case No. 5:21-CR-3 after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture. His sentence holds him accountable for his criminal conduct spanning both investigations.  Davis and his co-conspirators will not be eligible for parole.

“Coupling armed drug distribution with the cruel abuse of animals makes an already horrible situation even worse; the significant sentences in this case send the message that such conduct is unwelcome in Middle Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The tremendous collective effort put forth by many law enforcement agencies helped bring these defendants to justice and shut down a dangerous criminal organization.”

“Dogfighting is a brutal crime often tied with drug trafficking organizations, as seen in this case,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “These crimes destroy lives and place enormous burdens on communities. We appreciate the collaborative and extensive effort shared by federal, state and local law enforcement entities to investigate and prosecute this case.”

“These defendants posed a significant threat to the quality of life in our communities. The dismantling of these criminal organizations makes our communities a safer place today,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

“The barbaric practice of pitting animals against each other in a fight to the death has no place in this country,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General.  “The outstanding work of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners who investigated this case and the prosecutors of the U.S. Department of Justice made it possible to bring this individual of a major animal fighting venture to justice.  USDA-OIG has made animal fighting a high priority in order to demonstrate that these inhumane acts of cruelty to animals will not be tolerated."

Investigations

According to court documents, law enforcement investigated a criminal organization involved in the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine and organized dog fighting based out of Roberta, Georgia, which extended into North Georgia, Florida and Alabama from May 2019 until Feb. 2020. In Feb. 2020, law enforcement executed 15 residential search warrants and seized more than 150 dogs that were being used for organized dog-fighting.

Many of the rescued dogs had scarring and visible injuries such as broken legs and open bleeding wounds, all consistent with dog fighting. Agents seized scales, weighted collars, heavy chains, ground stakes, miscellaneous pedigrees and medical supplies to treat injuries the animals sustained from dog fighting activities. In addition, law enforcement recovered firearms and illegal drugs during the course of this extensive investigation. In total, the criminal organizations are being held accountable for the distribution of approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine and 179 grams of methamphetamine.

Ten co-conspirators sentenced in case 5:21-CR-3:

Lekey Davis aka “Kee Boo,” 47, of Talbotton, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 210 months of imprisonment to be followed by four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base;

Christopher Raines aka “Binky,” 52, of Talbotton, was sentenced to serve 135 months of imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release and pay a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base;

Jarvis Lockett aka “J-Rock,” 43, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and cocaine distribution;

Derrick Owens aka “Doomie,” 39, of Woodland, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine;

Jason Carter, 41, of Phoenix City, Alabama, was sentenced to serve 97 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine;

Vernon Vegas, 51, of Suwanee, Georgia, was sentenced to serve the maximum 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and pay a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture;

Shaquille Bentley, 29, of Roberta, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 48 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to use of a communication facility;

Shelley Johnson aka “Gold Mouth,” 41, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 37 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $25,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture;

Rodrick Walton aka “Rodrie Walton,” 43, of Shiloh, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 24 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture; and

Bryanna Holmes, 27, of Fort Valley, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 36 months of probation after pleading guilty to use of a communication facility.

Eight co-conspirators also sentenced in related case 5:21-CR-3:

Antoine Riley aka “Bear,” 46, of Warner Robins, was sentenced as a career offender to serve 180 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release to run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed in a pending case in Taylor County, Georgia, Superior Court after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine base;

Brittany Smith, 30, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 135 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine;

Antonio Raines, 39, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 97 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine base;

Emanuel Ivey, 37, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine base;

Joseph Day, 50, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 46 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine base;

Desmond Griffin, 30, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine base;

Obie Wright, 68, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine base; and

Latanya Williams, 41, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve three years of probation after pleading guilty to making false statements.

Two more co-conspirators sentenced from other related cases 5:21-CR-39 and 5:21-CR-40 respectively:

Lee Anthony Benney, 56, of Reynolds, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 21 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture; and

Reginald Crimes, 40, of Preston, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 24 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture.

For more information about these cases, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/remaining-defendants-middle-georgia-armed-drug-trafficking-organization-sentenced; https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/12th-defendant-sentenced-dog-fighting-drug-distribution-ring; and https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/doj-announces-arrests-middle-georgia-drug-conspiracy-and-dog-fighting-ring.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The dog-fighting and drug conspiracy case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the Merriweather County Sheriff’s Office, the Peach County Sheriff’s Office, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Byron Police Department and the Fort Valley Police Department. Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and Senior Trial Attorney Banu Rangarajan with the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.

The methamphetamine distribution case was investigated by DEA, FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), USMS, the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office, the Bibb County Sherriff’s Office and the Warner Robins Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim prosecuted the case.