Michael Vick gets 23-month prison term for dogfighting

RICHMOND

A federal judge sentenced Michael Vick to 23 months in prison Monday, ignoring pleas for leniency from attorneys who portrayed the Newport News native as an immensely talented yet depressed athlete who used marijuana to calm his troubles.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled that Vick, 27, was dishonest with authorities and failed to accept responsibility for his role in what Hudson described as the largest dogfighting conspiracy ever before a U.S. federal court.

Before Hudson sentenced him, Vick stood before the judge and apologized to the court, his family and his children “for what I’ve done.” He said he was willing to serve as an advocate against dogfighting and animal cruelty and would deal with the consequences of his actions.

“I think you need to also apologize to the millions of young people who look up to you,” Hudson told him.

Hudson said Vick was “instrumental in promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity, and I am convinced it was not a momentary lapse in judgment.”

The sentence exceeded the 18- and 21-month prison terms Hudson gave two of Vick’s co-defendants. It followed the recommendation of prosecutors, who also felt Vick skirted responsibility for his actions.

Vick turned himself in last month to begin his sentence early. He came to the courtroom Monday in his jail uniform. A deputy U.S. marshal said later it’s standard procedure to not allow inmates to change out of their jail clothes, except for during trials.

But few in the crowd expected it when Vick walked in wearing horizontal black-and-white stripes from neck to foot, a white long-sleeved shirt underneath.

“Oh, my God,” one supporter whispered.

The packed, hushed gallery watched as Vick entered through a back door and slowly walked up the center aisle through the crowd.

Most of the 45-minute hearing involved arguments from Billy Martin and Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., two of Vick’s attorneys. They characterized a man who overcame a troubled, dysfunctional background with the aid of a supportive mother and his athletic gifts.

“He grew up in probably some of the meanest and roughest streets in this commonwealth,” Woodward said.

But Vick still needs help, they said.

Two medical examiners concluded that Vick was clinically depressed after his NFL suspension and the rest of the fallout from his criminal case, Martin said. He said Vick turned to marijuana to self-medicate, though he didn’t say how long he had been doing so.

Vick tested positive for marijuana use on Sept. 18, about three weeks after pleading guilty to conspiring to run a dogfighting and gambling venture.

Hudson, however, said Vick tried to hide his direct involvement in killing some of the dogs on his property in Surry County, even after prosecutors stressed to him in private meetings how important it was in his plea agreement to be completely honest.

Hudson said Vick also lied to a probation officer about his marijuana use.

Vick admitted in his signed confession in August to financing most of the dogfighting enterprise known as Bad Newz Kennels and to providing most of the money his co-defendants used to bet on matches. Vick has agreed to pay $928,000 in restitution for the care of the dogs seized from the Surry County house.

Hudson said he recognized the “monumental collateral consequences” Vick faces because of his criminal case. His future in the National Football League is in doubt, and his team, the Atlanta Falcons, is seeking to recover nearly $20 million in bonus money.

Tom Shuttleworth, another of Vick’s attorneys, said Vick is hoping for an NFL comeback in 2009, but nothing has been worked out with the league yet.

Martin said after the hearing that he hopes Vick may be released from prison after 18 months with good behavior. Martin did not explain his calculations, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Vick would get 54 days off his sentence for a first year of good behavior and would be allowed to serve about two months of his time in a halfway house at the end of his sentence. He also was fined $5,000 and will serve three years of supervised probation upon release from prison.

It has not been determined where Vick will serve his prison time. He is still scheduled for an April 2 trial on two state charges for dogfighting and animal cruelty in Surry County.

“Mike is taking his medicine like a man,” Shuttleworth said.

Woodward said Vick doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him but asks that they give him a chance when he finishes his sentence.

Some of Vick’s relatives began to cry as they left the courtroom Monday. Vick appeared to be holding back tears as he turned in his chair to watch them leave. He lightly tapped his fist twice to his chest as they shuffled by.

 Staff writers Tim McGlone and Warren Fiske contributed to this report.

 Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com