34-year-old Jesus Allen Stephens, a resident of Waskom in East Texas, pleaded guilty on Thursday, December 12, 2024, to federal felony charges for organizing a large-scale dogfighting event in November 2021.
According to court documents, Stephens hosted the event on family-owned property in Harrison County on November 13, 2021. He arranged up to 14 dogfights for gambling and entertainment, providing GPS coordinates to attendees, including participants from outside Texas.
Law enforcement disrupted the event, discovering a dogfighting pit, evidence of dogfighting activities, and a severely injured dog. Additional pit bull-type dogs and dogfighting paraphernalia, such as treadmills and heavy chains, were later found at Stephens's residences.
Stephens pleaded guilty to conspiracy, sponsoring and exhibiting a dog in a dogfight, and possessing a dog for dogfighting purposes. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Shreveport and Tyler Resident Agencies with assistance from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs, and Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sarah Brown and Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section, with assistance from James Noble of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
