, 55, was convicted of six felonies last year at a jury trial in federal court in Muskogee.
He was accused in his federal case of breeding and selling dogs for illegal fights but not of fighting them himself. "There have been no bigger fighting dog peddlers brought to justice," prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Johnson on Thursday, Sept. 10. The judge said the punishment could serve to deter others.
Prosecutors had asked for 10 years in prison. Johnson, who lives in Broken Arrow, had sought probation.
Johnson played two seasons for the Green Bay Packers after they drafted him in the third round in 1994. He then played three seasons for the Arizona Cardinals, missed a season because of cancer and played one season for the New York Giants. He finished his pro career in the XFL in 2001.
He was a standout in college at Northern Illinois. He led the nation in 1993 with 1,976 rushing yards. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting that season.
Johnson had been running a major operation since at least 2007 that bred and sold fighting dogs for profit,
"The jury heard evidence that Johnson bred and trafficked hundreds of dogs for the purpose of dog fighting around the country. Authorities seized 190 dogs from his property, the largest number ever seized from a single individual in a federal dog fighting case," the Justice Department said.
"The jury heard evidence that Johnson advertised many of his dogs as 'champions' and 'grand champions,' meaning they had won three or five fights, respectively. Johnson also boasted of the fighting prowess of his dogs," the Justice Department said.
His breeding operation was known as “Mal Kant Kennels.” It made hundreds of thousands of dollars in income, according to evidence presented at the trial.
Johnson maintains his innocence and may appeal, his defense attorney, Billy Coyle, said.
Johnson had no control over what others did with his dogs, the attorney said.
"He just possessed a lot of American pit bull terriers. And it made him look bad," Coyle told The Oklahoman. "The guy genuinely loved his dogs. ... The sheriff of the county ... could come out and look at the dogs at any time. Nothing was done in secrecy here. "
In a sentencing memo, the defense attorney said Johnson had traumatic brain injuries from his football career and has been diagnosed with severe dementia and Parkinson's disease.
Jurors of three counts of possessing dogs for animal fighting, two counts of selling a dog for animal fighting and one count of selling, transporting and delivering a dog for animal fighting.
Jurors acquitted him of 17 other counts.
He also was arrested in 2004 and charged in state court after "agents witnessed him fight two of his dogs during a dog fighting event in Wetumka," federal prosecutors said.
He pleaded guilty to three felony counts in Hughes County District Court and received a five-year deferred sentence in 2005, records show. "Instead of ... altering his course of criminal conduct, Defendant went right on as if nothing had happened," prosecutors said.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said in the news release that dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states "as Johnson was well aware. "
"To anyone attempting to build violent and illicit business schemes: you can run, but you can’t hide from the Department of Justice," the associate attorney general said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman:
