Thanks to the Canadian Press for this article.
Dog advocacy groups asks judge for harsh sentence for Vick
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) Eleven dog advocacy groups asked a federal judge to send Michael Vick to prison for nearly five years when the quarterback is sentenced and to turn the property he and others used for dogfighting into a shelter for abused dogs.
The group, which includes animal rescue organizations and the National American Pit Bill Terrier Association, also said Wednesday in the filing that it wants the suspended Atlanta Falcons star to pay more than US$10 million to rehabilitate the more than 50 pit bulls seized from his property in April.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson allowed the filing, but he won’t permit members or their lawyers to speak when he sentences Vick on Dec. 10.
Vick pleaded guilty last month to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge, and prosecutors called for a sentence of between 12 and 18 months. Hudson, however, can impose up to the five-year maximum.
