Michael Vick Sentence: 23 months behind bars

The troubled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was given 23 months behind bars for participation in the dogfighting operation.

Michael Vick Sentence: 23 months behind bars Quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday to 23 months in prison in the federal case for his participation in the dogfighting operation known under the name "Bad Newz Kennels". The sentence given to Michael Vick is above the prosecutors' recommended 12 to 18 months, but the maximum sentence Vick was facing was five years. The entire sentencing of the Atlanta Falcons quarterback given by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson took less than 2 hours. "I am willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions," Michael Vick said before the sentencing, but judge Hudson was unmoved and handed down 23 months prison time to Vick, saying that he believed the Falcons star was a full partner in the illegal enterprise.

In November Judge Hudson sentenced Purnell Peace to 18 months in prison and Quanis Phillips to 21 months for their part in the Bad Newz Kennels operation. A fourth co-defendant, Tony Taylor, is scheduled for sentencing on Friday. All four, including Michael Vick, are still facing state charges in relation to the dogfighting ring. Michael Vick's attorneys last month requested a jury trial on the state charges and is set to begin in April. For more on Michael Vick's dogfighting case, follow the links below.

Published on 12/10/2007