COLUMBUS, OHIO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Energy and Natural Resources Division), published as received.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Gallia County man was sentenced to 11 years in prison today after pleading guilty to dogfighting and fentanyl distribution. He will serve nine months concurrent and 12 months consecutive to the 10 years he is already serving on the drug charges.
Michael Valentine, 40, of Bidwell, Ohio, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of raising and training dogs for the purpose of fighting and five counts related to fentanyl distribution. He was sentenced on Jan. 26, 2023, to serve 10 years in prison for the drug distribution charge. He will also serve five years of supervised release.
“Valentine’s crimes endangered both humans and dogs,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Thanks to the work of our investigative partners, hundreds of grams of fentanyl were taken out of circulation before reaching our local communities and more than 50 dogs were removed from the defendant. It is appropriate that Valentine will spend a significant amount of time in federal prison.”
“Dogfighting is a barbaric offense that cruelly harms animals and burdens the surrounding community in many ways,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates that those engaged in this horrific practice face significant punishment.”
“The relevant provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity including drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Springer of USDA-OIG. “The USDA-OIG thanks the Department of Justice, who prosecuted the case, and Gallia County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI for their assistance with the investigation.”
According to court documents, law enforcement first investigated Valentine for dogfighting offenses in 2019 after a dog attacked a small child living with him. That investigation led to a search warrant of the Valentine’s residence and the seizure of 40 dogs. The search also recovered numerous items of dog fighting paraphernalia, including treadmills, veterinary supplies and dogfighting videos.
On March 8, 2022, a second search warrant was executed at the Valentine’s residence as part of a fentanyl-distribution investigation. That search revealed dog fighting paraphernalia, as well as two assault-style rifles. In addition, a search of a nearby parcel of land revealed 677 grams of fentanyl and 69 grams of cocaine packaged for distribution, and an additional 11 dogs, which Valentine was keeping for purposes of dogfighting. Valentine had previously sold 141 grams of fentanyl from the property.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with assistance from the Gallia County Sherriff’s Office.
This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. More information about OCDETF can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous and Department of Justice Environmental and Natural Resources Division Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman are prosecuting the case.
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