Mrs.JockEwing
08-20-2007, 07:28 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/08/20/vick/index.html
CNN) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal that could send him to prison, ending a federal dogfighting prosecution that jeopardizes his pro football career, his lawyers said.
Vick will plead guilty to felony conspiracy next Monday, defense attorney Lawrence Woodward told the Virginian-Pilot, of Norfolk, Virginia.
A status conference on the case is set for 3 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia.
The U.S. Attorney's office had no comment.
"After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asks that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him," lead defense attorney Billy Martin said in a statement.
"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his action and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter," Martin's statement said.
Vick's attorneys have been negotiating with federal prosecutors over terms of the deal, which must be approved by the judge. While prosecutors can recommend a sentence, the decision ultimately rests with the judge.
The plea would help Vick avoid additional federal charges.
Federal prosecutors had offered a deal recommending an 18- to 36-month prison sentence. Vick's attorneys were trying to reduce that to less than a year, two sources told CNN earlier on Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether Vick's attorneys have heard back Monday from National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell's office. They wanted to clarify Vick's career options before entering into any deal with federal prosecutors, the sources said.
Vick's three codefendants in the dogfighting case have accepted agreements to plead guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.
If Vick backs out of the deal, he could face additional charges in the case when the grand jury convenes in Richmond.
The NFL is considering what, if any, sanctions they should impose on the 27-year-old suspended Atlanta Falcons player.
Court documents released last week showed that two of Vick's alleged partners said he helped kill dogs that didn't fight well, and that all three men "executed approximately eight dogs" in ways that included hanging and drowning.
The dogs were killed because they fared poorly in "testing" sessions in April at Vick's property in Virginia where the dogfighting venture was based, according to documents released following plea agreement hearings Friday for Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta. See what Vick's former co-defendants admitted »
A third man, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia, already had his plea deal approved.
In the court documents, Peace and Phillips said that the money behind the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting operation came "almost exclusively" from Vick, and they told prosecutors that other accusations in the 18-page indictment are true.
CNN) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has accepted a plea deal that could send him to prison, ending a federal dogfighting prosecution that jeopardizes his pro football career, his lawyers said.
Vick will plead guilty to felony conspiracy next Monday, defense attorney Lawrence Woodward told the Virginian-Pilot, of Norfolk, Virginia.
A status conference on the case is set for 3 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia.
The U.S. Attorney's office had no comment.
"After consulting with his family over the weekend, Michael Vick asks that I announce today that he has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors regarding the charges pending against him," lead defense attorney Billy Martin said in a statement.
"Mr. Vick has agreed to enter a plea of guilty to those charges and to accept full responsibility for his action and the mistakes he has made. Michael wishes to apologize again to everyone who has been hurt by this matter," Martin's statement said.
Vick's attorneys have been negotiating with federal prosecutors over terms of the deal, which must be approved by the judge. While prosecutors can recommend a sentence, the decision ultimately rests with the judge.
The plea would help Vick avoid additional federal charges.
Federal prosecutors had offered a deal recommending an 18- to 36-month prison sentence. Vick's attorneys were trying to reduce that to less than a year, two sources told CNN earlier on Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether Vick's attorneys have heard back Monday from National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell's office. They wanted to clarify Vick's career options before entering into any deal with federal prosecutors, the sources said.
Vick's three codefendants in the dogfighting case have accepted agreements to plead guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.
If Vick backs out of the deal, he could face additional charges in the case when the grand jury convenes in Richmond.
The NFL is considering what, if any, sanctions they should impose on the 27-year-old suspended Atlanta Falcons player.
Court documents released last week showed that two of Vick's alleged partners said he helped kill dogs that didn't fight well, and that all three men "executed approximately eight dogs" in ways that included hanging and drowning.
The dogs were killed because they fared poorly in "testing" sessions in April at Vick's property in Virginia where the dogfighting venture was based, according to documents released following plea agreement hearings Friday for Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta. See what Vick's former co-defendants admitted »
A third man, Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia, already had his plea deal approved.
In the court documents, Peace and Phillips said that the money behind the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting operation came "almost exclusively" from Vick, and they told prosecutors that other accusations in the 18-page indictment are true.