CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - North Carolina, Western), published as received.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Statesville, N.C., man appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to federal charges for breeding, advertising, and selling pit bulls for illegal dog fighting and related offenses, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Juelz Christopher Daniels, 19, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act, possession, training, and sale of fighting dogs, and advertising fighting dogs for sale on Facebook.

According to plea documents, from January 2021 to May 2026, Daniels and his co-defendant, Reginald Lionel Goodson, bred, trained and sold pit bull-type dogs intended for dog fights and operated one or more dog kennels for the purpose of raising pit bull-type dogs for dog fighting. Daniels also posted advertisements for various pit bull-type dogs he bred and sold on multiple Facebook Groups dedicated to illegal dog fighting and to various individuals via Facebook Messenger, knowing that at least some of the purchasers were using the animals to participate in dog fights. Law enforcement executed search warrants at three residences associated with Daniels and Goodson, where they rescued and seized 25 pit bull-type dogs, including puppies, as well as other items, tools, and paraphernalia associated with breeding and training animals for dog fighting.

Daniels is in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set. The charges against Goodson are still pending. 

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson credited the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hickory Police Department for their investigation and assistance in this case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case. 

To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at 1-800-424-9121 or online at https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline.