Two New Jersey residents were charged for their participation in a dog fighting ring that involved the “DMV Board,” a Telegram-based dog fighting collective spanning several states. Tommy J. “Snakes” Watson, of Clayton, and Johnnie Lee Nelson Jr., of Bridgeton, appeared in court on the charges today and last Tuesday, respectively.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Watson and Nelson conspired with others to fight, train, transport and possess pit bull-type dogs in dog fighting ventures from August 2017 through March 2019, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Watson and others conducted a dog fighting operation known as “From Da Bottom Kennels” and fought pit bull-type dogs in dog fights, housed and trained dogs for dog fighting and acquired, without veterinarian assistance or scrutiny, medical equipment including skin staplers to treat dogs injured during fights. Watson and others also used the “DMV Board” to transmit videos of live-streamed dog fights, dogs training to fight and underperforming fighting dogs being killed including by hanging.
Watson fought two dogs, including one named “Bunz,” in a December 2018 dog fight at a location on Center Road in Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey. Watson also trained and transported a third dog, named “Rambo,” for a dog fight event at the same location on March 23, 2019, which law enforcement disrupted. Two still-fighting dogs were discovered by law enforcement at the Center Road location inside a car where participants had placed the dogs before fleeing to avoid detection by law enforcement. Nelson trained “Rambo” for purposes of having him fight in the March 23, 2019 dog fight event at the Center Road location. Watson is also charged with the unlawful possession of ammunition that he brought to the dog fight event.
If convicted, Watson and Nelson each face penalties up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count of animal fighting charges. Watson also faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the ammunition charge.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Philip K. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and detectives with the Cumberland County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office are investigating the case, which remains ongoing.
Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O’Leary and Desiree Grace for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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