South Jersey Men Charged in Multi-State Dog-Fighting Ring

The accused used a Telegram-based platform to stream live dog fights, facing up to five years in prison and hefty fines.

Two South Jersey men, Tommy J. Watson and Johnnie Lee Nelson, have been charged for their involvement in a multi-state dog-fighting ring that operated from August 2017 to March 2019.
The dog-fighting ring, known as 'From Da Bottom Kennels', used a Telegram-based platform called the 'DMV Board' to stream live videos of dog fights and the killing of underperforming dogs.
Watson and Nelson are accused of raising, training, and transporting pit bull-type dogs for the purpose of dog fighting, and possessing makeshift veterinary equipment to treat dogs injured during fights.
Law enforcement officials were able to prevent a planned dog fight on March 23, 2019, and found two other dogs that had already fought hidden in a car at the location.
Watson, who is also charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the ammunition charge, while both men face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count of animal fighting charges.