The organization for Animal Cruelty Crimes Section at U.S. Department of Justice
Tulsa, OK — Federal authorities charged a Tulsa man this week for illegal dogfighting activities, just weeks after unsealing a dogfighting indictment for a different man, former NFL player LeShon Johnson. Julius Deane Griffin, 43, was charged with 23 counts of prohibited dogfighting operations and other crimes, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Griffin was also charged with several other related weapons and animal cruelty crimes.
On April 21, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Griffin’s home in northwest Tulsa and seized 17 live pit bull-type dogs, a deceased dog, and other evidence of an animal fighting venture. Some of the dogs exhibited missing and damaged body parts, visible scars, and open wounds, all consistent with dogfighting. The U.S. Marshals Service oversees a placement and care program for seized dogs.
“I am deeply disturbed about the prevalence of dogfighting in our communities in northeast Oklahoma but heartened that federal law enforcement agencies are cracking down on this barbarism,” said Kevin Chambers, Oklahoma state director for Animal Wellness Action, a Tulsa resident, and a national expert on animal fighting. “This case, and the Johnson indictment that preceded it, remind every dogfighter that they risk their freedom and their assets if they continue to engage in this vicious form of criminal activity.”
Chambers noted that both Johnson and Griffin had prior records for dogfighting. “Both perpetrators had been arrested and received just modest penalties from Oklahoma courts in their prior convictions,” Chambers said. “This is precisely why serious jail time, major fines, and asset forfeiture must be part of the punishment. Only stern penalties will deter these career criminals.”
Griffin advertised and publicized his illegal dogfighting operation through social media. Law enforcement’s review of that data shows communication, pictures, and videos related to controlled substances, firearms, domestic abuse, and dogfighting. One of the videoed dog fights revealed a child cheering on the fight.
In Griffin’s communication with others, he discusses dogs being injured, killed, “murdered,” and “dogs with their faces ripped off.” He also discusses merchandise with the illegal kennel’s slogan or name, which includes blue to align with gang affiliation. Conversations with a “dogfighting commentator” horrifically describe the graphic and violent fights that Griffin was involved in.
Griffin previously served only two years of a five-year state prison term he received after being convicted in 2005 in Hughes County of dogfighting-related charges. In that case, Griffin was charged along with about 20 others. The list of those charged in 2005 included former NFL player LeShon Johnson, who currently also faces dogfighting charges himself in a separate case filed in Muskogee federal court. Johnson received a five-year deferred sentence in the Hughes County case after pleading guilty to dogfighting-related charges.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, applauded the Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and other federal law enforcement agents for their work on this case. Animal Wellness Action is asking Attorney General Pam Bondi and Congress to create an Animal Cruelty Crimes section at the U.S. Department of Justice to bring more cases under our national anti-cruelty laws, particularly the national animal fighting law signed by President Trump during his first term.
“Without enforcement, our laws are just aspirations, and criminals ignore them and charge ahead with their cruelty and chaos,” said Pacelle. “Crimes of malice toward animals are predictors of violence toward humans, so we are making everybody safer in our communities by robustly enforcing these laws.”