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<\/a><\/p>\n(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n TULSA,\u00a0 Oklahoma;\u00a0 BOSTON,\u00a0 Massachusetts;\u00a0 COLUMBIA, South Carolina\u2013\u2013<\/strong>A week after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma on April 24,\u00a0 2025 announced new charges against previously convicted dogfighter Julius Deane Griffin, \u00a043,\u00a0 investigators are still trying to unravel dogfighting connections apparently extending from coast to coast.<\/p>\n Griffin is identified as a member of the 107 Hoover Crips,\u00a0 a drug-dealing African-American street gang reportedly begun as the Hoover Groovers more than fifty years ago in Los Angeles,\u00a0 now active as far away as New Jersey.<\/p>\n The Tulsa area 107 Hoover Crips were in 2013 named by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force for involvement in \u201cdrug dealing, \u00a0extortion, \u00a0and violence, \u00a0including shootings.\u201d<\/p>\n Julius Deane Griffin.<\/strong><\/em> According to a prepared statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma,\u00a0 \u201cCourt documents show that the Creek County Sheriff\u2019s Office began this investigation in 2024. \u00a0On April 21, 2025, \u00a0Homeland Security Investigations, \u00a0the U.S. Marshals Service,\u00a0 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General executed a search warrant at Griffin\u2019s home,\u201d\u00a0 southwest of Tulsa.<\/p>\n \u201cLaw enforcement seized 17 live pit bull-type dogs and other fighting dogs, \u00a0and one deceased pit bull-type dog, \u00a0among other evidentiary items,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dogs seized were placed with outside caregivers. \u00a0Some of the dogs exhibited missing and damaged body parts, \u00a0visible scars, \u00a0and open wounds, \u00a0all consistent with dog fighting. \u00a0The deceased dog exhibited visible scars and open wounds, \u00a0consistent with dog fighting, \u00a0and was recently deceased.<\/p>\n Julius Deane Griffin arrest by U.S. Marshals. (Homeland Security Investigations photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cLaw enforcement seized several other items from Griffin\u2019s home,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office continued.\u00a0 \u201cAmong the items seized were ammunition, \u00a0gun magazines, \u00a0more than $16,000 in cash, \u00a0more than 20 cellphones and electronic devices, \u00a0trophies from dog fighting, dog treadmills, \u00a0kennels, \u00a0digital scales to weigh the dogs, \u00a0dog food, \u00a0Narcan, \u00a0injectable steroids, syringes, \u00a0and dog medications.<\/p>\n \u201cLaw enforcement further found clothing advertising the name of the illegal kennel, \u00a0more than 700 grams of mushrooms, \u00a0and a planner or drug ledger,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office added.<\/p>\n \u201cGriffin advertised and publicized his illegal dog-fighting operation through social media,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office said.<\/p>\n \u201cLaw enforcement’s review of that data shows communication, \u00a0pictures, \u00a0and videos related to controlled substances, \u00a0firearms, \u00a0domestic abuse, \u00a0and dog fighting. \u00a0One of the videoed dog fights revealed a child cheering on the fight.<\/p>\n Julius Deane Griffin arrest by U.S. Marshals.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cIn Griffin\u2019s communication with others,\u201d\u00a0 alleged the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, \u00a0\u201che discusses dogs being injured, \u00a0killed,\u00a0 ‘murdered,\u2019 \u00a0and \u2018dogs with their faces ripped off.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cHe also discusses merchandise with the illegal kennel\u2019s slogan or name, \u00a0which includes blue to align with [107 Hoover Crips] gang affiliation. Conversations with a \u2018dog fighting commentator\u2019 horrifically describe the graphic and violent fights that Griffin was involved in.\u201d<\/p>\n Griffin was charged with 23 counts of illegal dog fighting; \u00a0plus illegal possession, training, transport, \u00a0delivery, \u00a0sale and receipt of dogs intended to be used in an animal fighting venture;\u00a0 causing an individual under the age of 16 to attend an animal fighting venture;\u00a0 being a felon in possession of ammunition;\u00a0 possession of ammunition after a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence; \u00a0and assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian country,\u00a0 an indication that Griffin was apprehended and the pit bulls were impounded on or near the Creek Nation.<\/p>\n Julius Deane Griffin kennels.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cCourt records show that Griffin was previously convicted in 2005 for his involvement in a separate dog fighting ring with more than 40 dogs. He was also convicted of domestic assault and battery in 2009,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office media release concluded.<\/p>\n The charges against Griffin were disclosed barely a month after the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma on March 25,\u00a0 2025 unsealed a grand jury indictment charging former National Football League player Leshon Eugene Johnson,\u00a0 58,\u00a0 with \u201cpossessing 190 pit bull-type dogs for use in an animal fighting venture, \u00a0and for selling, \u00a0transporting, \u00a0and delivering a dog for use in an animal fighting venture,\u201d\u00a0 according to a U.S. Department of Justice media release.<\/p>\n Johnson was allegedly operating from Broken Arrow, \u00a0Oklahoma, \u00a0east of Tulsa but barely ten miles across Tulsa from Creek County.<\/p>\n (See Former NFL player Leshon Johnson hit again for pit bull fighting<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n John D. Murphy.<\/strong><\/em> Griffin was charged for the second time with dogfighting about two weeks after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts on April 9,\u00a0 2025 announced that convicted dogfighter John D. Murphy,\u00a0 51,\u00a0 of Hanson,\u00a0 Massachusetts,\u00a0 had become the first-ever person sentenced in Massachusetts for dogfighting in violation of federal law.<\/p>\n Murphy \u201cwas sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to one year and one day in prison, \u00a0with the last three months to be served in community confinement, \u00a0followed by three years of supervised release,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defendant was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and prohibited from possessing pit-bull type dogs. In November 2024,\u00a0 Murphy pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, \u00a0in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act.\u00a0 Murphy was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024,\u201d\u00a0 recounted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.<\/p>\n John Murphy with pit bulls in fighting pit.<\/strong><\/em> Murphy apparently came under investigation in 2021, \u00a0when he \u201cwas identified discussing dogfighting on recorded calls with a New York-based dogfighting target. \u00a0A subsequent search of his Facebook accounts revealed Murphy\u2019s years-long involvement in dogfighting,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts disclosed.<\/p>\n \u201cMurphy communicated with other dogfighters via Facebook,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office explained, \u00a0\u201cwhere they discussed the results of dogfights, \u00a0injuries sustained by fighting dogs, \u00a0as well as breeding dogs.<\/p>\n \u201cMurphy also belonged to private dogfighting Facebook groups used to share fight results, buy and sell fighting dogs, \u00a0and exchange information on training and conditioning fighting dogs,\u00a0 among other things.<\/p>\n \u201cPhotos and videos found on Murphy\u2019s Facebook account showed a pit bull-type dog with scarring and discolorations on its head and leg consistent with that of dogfighting as well as a photo of a pit bull-type dog restrained in a breeding stand,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office detailed.<\/p>\n (Mass. U.S. District Attorney’s Office photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n “Videos from his account showed pit bull-type dogs physically tethered to different treadmill-like devices,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office continued.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the videos depicted a live raccoon caged in front of a carpet mill, \u00a0to serve as a stimulus for the pit bull-type dog to run faster and harder.<\/p>\n Thirteen pit bulls were found in a June 2023 search of Murphy\u2019s residence in Hanson,\u00a0 several of them scarred in a manner \u201cconsistent with being involved in organized dogfighting,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office said.<\/p>\n In \u201cWhatsApp messages between Murphy and other individuals discussing elements of dog fighting,\u201d\u00a0 the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office alleged,\u00a0 \u201cMurphy expressed his anger over having animal control called to his property,\u201d\u00a0 acknowledged having spent 25 years breeding and conditioning fighting dogs, \u00a0and asserting that he will \u201cnever never never\u201d quit dogfighting.<\/p>\n Chained pit bull found by U.S. Justice Department raid in South Carolina.<\/strong><\/em> Earlier in the same week when Murphy was sentenced,\u00a0 the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in a two-day operation impounded 160 pit bulls,\u00a0 seizing 55 guns and \u201croughly 17 pounds of marijuana, \u00a0one kilo of cocaine, \u00a011 grams of crack cocaine, \u00a0two grams of ketamine, \u00a02,266 ecstasy pills and 990 fentanyl pills\u201d under ten search warrants,\u00a0 reported Patrick Phillips and Mary Green for WCSC in Columbia,\u00a0 South Carolina.<\/p>\n Eleven suspects were arrested,\u00a0 mostly on multiple charges.<\/p>\n Nine suspects were charged with animal fighting,\u00a0 five with alleged drug offenses,\u00a0 and three for conspiracy.<\/p>\n One suspect,\u00a0 Gavin Mandell Miles, 44, was charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk.<\/p>\n South Carolina governor Henry McMaster.<\/strong><\/em> South Carolina governor Henry McMaster has pursued prosecutions of alleged dogfighters for more than 20 years,\u00a0 beginning as South Carolina attorney general from 2003 to 2011.<\/p>\n \u201cMcMaster has mentioned efforts to stop illegal animal fighting in the state in his past two State of the State addresses, \u00a0calling it \u2018one of the cruelest criminal activities in our society,\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Phillips and Green recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2023, at McMaster\u2019s request, \u00a0the South Carolina Law Enforcement division launched a unit specifically to combat dogfighting,\u00a0 with four permanent agents now part of it,\u201d\u00a0 Phillips and Green continued,\u00a0 a year after the division hired one agent to focus on dogfighting.<\/p>\n That hiring,\u00a0 in September 2022,\u00a0 was followed within a month by charges against more than 20 people in what was believed to be \u201c\u2019the biggest takedown of a dogfighting operation in South Carolina history,\u2019 \u00a0according to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office,\u201d\u00a0 Phillips and Green said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe joint operation resulted in warrants issued in Richland, \u00a0Orangeburg, \u00a0Clarendon, \u00a0Lee,\u00a0 Sumter, \u00a0and York counties,\u201d\u00a0 Phillips and Green detailed,\u00a0 bringing the impoundments of 305 pit bulls, \u00a0275 of them allegedly used in fighting.<\/p>\n (See Big dogfighting busts follow plea bargains by alleged perps in South Carolina<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n David Ray Tant. (Facebook photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Forming his first dogfighting task force in 2003,\u00a0 McMaster made his name as a foe of dogfighting in February 2004,\u00a0 when five men were arrested for felony cruelty,\u00a0 firearms, \u00a0and drug offenses after 13 emaciated live pit bulls and five dead pit bulls were found at an abandoned farmhouse in Wilson County.<\/p>\n Two months later,\u00a0 on April 7,\u00a0 2004,\u00a0 \u00a0surveyor\u2019s assistant Steven Baker, \u00a0then 23, \u00a0of Lincolnville, approached the edge of an 11-acre property owned by David Ray Tant, \u00a0then 57, \u00a0of North Charleston, \u00a0a former witness in a federal criminal investigation,\u00a0 to see what Baker thought was a pack of baying hunting hounds in pursuit of an animal.<\/p>\n Baker stepped on a trip-wire and was shot in the chest by 24 birdshot pellets fired from an eight-inch pipe mounted about 60 feet away,\u00a0 Charleston County Sheriff s Department bomb squad commander Stafford Melerine later testified.<\/p>\n Beth & Merritt Clifton.<\/strong><\/em> More than 40 pit bulls and dogfighting training equipment were impounded from the Tant property.\u00a0 All of Tant\u2019s pit bulls were later euthanized because they were deemed too violent for adoption.<\/p>\n Sentenced to serve 30 years for setting the lethal booby-trap and 41 dogfighting-related offenses,\u00a0 Tant was on September 17, \u00a02010 released on parole after serving just six years in prison,\u00a0 against McMaster\u2019s strenuous opposition.<\/p>\n The post Dogfighting gang member busted again, another sentenced, 11 nabbed in NC<\/a> appeared first on Animals 24-7<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (Beth Clifton collage) How big is the nationwide “107 Hoover Crips” gang in pit bull breeding & fighting? TULSA,\u00a0 Oklahoma;\u00a0 BOSTON,\u00a0 Massachusetts;\u00a0 COLUMBIA, South Carolina\u2013\u2013A week after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma on April 24,\u00a0 2025 announced new charges against previously convicted dogfighter Julius Deane Griffin, \u00a043,\u00a0 investigators are still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":220905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12022],"tags":[21012,53208,17617,13412,82949,32242],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-220904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activist","tag-busted","tag-dogfighting","tag-gang","tag-member","tag-nabbed","tag-sentenced"],"yoast_head":"\nHow big is the nationwide “107 Hoover Crips” gang in pit bull breeding & fighting?<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n
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(Homeland Security Investigations photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nOklahoma bust went down day after Easter<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nEvidence<\/h2>\n
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(Homeland Security Investigations photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n“Discussed dogs being injured,\u00a0 killed,\u00a0 murdered”<\/h2>\n
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(Homeland Security Investigations photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPreviously convicted in 2005<\/h2>\n
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(Mass. U.S. District Attorney’s Office photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nJohn D. Murphy sentenced<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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(Mass. U.S. District Attorney’s Office photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nInvestigation started in 2021<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nTreadmills<\/h2>\n
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(Meredith Lee\/HSUS photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nSouth Carolina cracks down<\/h2>\n
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(Wikipedia photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nHenry McMaster<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nDavid Ray Tant<\/h2>\n
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(Gene Chontos photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPlease donate to support our work:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
www.animals24-7.org\/donate\/<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n