Georgia man receives almost 500-year prison sentence for organizing dog fights and mistreating animals

Vincent Lemark Burrell, a Georgia man, was sentenced to 475 years in prison for facilitating dog fights and animal abuse. This case involved 107 dogs seized from his property in November 2022, making it the longest known sentence for dog fighting. Burrell denied involvement in dog fighting in court. The investigation began when an Amazon delivery worker reported seeing dogs tied up with heavy chains on Burrell’s property in Dallas, Georgia. When authorities searched the property, they found evidence of abuse, including underweight dogs and dogs restrained with logging chains. Burrell was arrested on allegations of facilitating dog fights and cruelty to animals. Evidence linking him to dog fighting included a treadmill for dogs, a breeding stand, and documents related to other dog fighters. The district attorney’s office stated that a veterinarian found some dogs with removed teeth and scars from fighting. The dogs were seized under a federal warrant and taken in by a nonprofit organization. One of the dogs rescued, Baby Shark, was only 8 weeks old at the time and was believed to have been intended for illegal fighting. Burrell was convicted by a jury on 93 counts of dog fighting and 10 counts of cruelty to animals. Superior Court Judge Dean C. Bucci sentenced him to 475 years in prison, the maximum allowed by law.

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