2 NJ Men Convicted In Multi-State Dog Fighting Ring: Authorities

Four men, including two from New Jersey, have been convicted for heir respective roles in a multi-state dog fighting ring, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito and Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced on Wednesday.

Justin Love, 38, of Sewell, and Robert A. Elliott Sr., 49, of Millville, were found guilty following a three-week trial of engaging in a conspiracy to sponsor and exhibit dogs in animal fighting ventures and to buy, sell, possess, train, transport, deliver and receive dogs for purposes of having the dogs participate in animal fighting ventures.

Dajwan Ware, 45, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Robert Arellano, 64, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, were also convicted of these charges. The jury deliberated for six hours before returning their verdicts. Love and Arellano were also found guilty of unlawfully trafficking in fighting dogs. Elliott and Ware were also found guilty of unlawfully possessing fighting dogs.

They are the last four men to be adjudicated in this case, which is part of Operation Grand Champion, an ongoing multi-state dog fighting investigation.

The investigation found that Arellano sold and shipped two fighting dogs to Love and Anthony "Monte" Gaines, of Vineland, according to documents filed in the case and evidence presented at trial. They were shipped by air cargo in December 2014. One of the dogs was seriously injured in a test fight the following day, authorities said.

Gaines also transported a fighting dog named “Bubbles” to Ware in order to hide her from law enforcement after local authorities discovered Gaines’s dog fighting yard, authorities said. Elliott housed a fighting dog named “Fancy” on behalf of Gaines and conspirator Frank Nichols, and possessed 12 fighting dogs of his own.

“Dog fighting is vicious and cruel. And beyond the needless suffering it inflicts on animals, it exacts a toll on local animal shelters, humane organizations, and the taxpayers of New Jersey,” Carpenito said. “The message from these convictions is simple: if you fight dogs in New Jersey, you will face prosecution and imprisonment.”

The phrase “Grand Champion” is used by dog fighters to refer to a dog with more than five dog fighting “victories.” To date, 123 dogs have been rescued as part of Operation Grand Champion, and either surrendered or forfeited to the government.

“Under the leadership of Attorney General Sessions, our Division is aggressively pursuing those who engage in the cruel and brutal practice of dog fighting, which is often linked with many forms of violent and organized criminal activity,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said. “Yesterday’s four convictions demonstrate our firm commitment to fight back against those who would abuse these animals, in clear violation of federal law, to satiate bloodthirsty spectators and gamblers. I applaud the law enforcement officers and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to deliver justice in these cases.”

Each conviction carries a maximum of five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2019. Five other defendants in the case previously pleaded guilty to dog fighting and firearms charges and have been sentenced.

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