David Guidry III, of Independence, Louisiana, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison followed by three years supervised release, with the special condition that Guidry complete 30 hours of community service, for possession of animals in an animal fighting venture. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo for the Eastern District of Louisiana imposed the sentence.
According to court documents, federal law enforcement – through an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation – initially discovered Guidry’s involvement in the dogfighting ring through court-authorized wiretaps investigating narcotics trafficking in the Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana by other individuals. In the summer of 2017, law enforcement discovered Guidry hosted at least two dogfights at his residence in Independence, at which narcotics traffickers and fellow dogfighters fought dogs and gambled on the fights.
In October 2017, federal law enforcement executed a search warrant on Guidry’s residence and found a dogfighting pit surrounded by discarded beverage containers, seven pit bulls restrained using heave chains, a device to pry open the jaws of a dog involved in a dogfight, and veterinary equipment. Federal law enforcement seized the dogs and transported them to a facility in North Carolina for medical care and rehabilitation.
To date, six other defendants have been convicted for their participation in the interstate dogfighting ring. Five of the defendants have already been sentenced for their dogfighting convictions:
- Eric “EZ” Williams, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 60 months in prison;
- Corey Brown, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 50 months in prison;
- Clay Turner, of Loranger, Louisiana: 36 months in prison;
- Dangelo Dontae Cornish, of Greensburg, Louisiana: 16 months in prison; and
- Aquintas Kantrell Singleton, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 12 months and one day months in prison.
Antonio Damon Atkins, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges in July and is awaiting sentencing.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew D. Evans of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Reed for the Eastern District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.
