For more than five years, two men in North Carolina allegedly raised dogs for the fighting pit and sold them to buyers online. Now one of them has admitted his role. The federal court should hand down the toughest sentence the law allows, and prosecutors should see the case against his alleged partner all the way through.

Juelz Christopher Daniels, 19, of Statesville pleaded guilty to violating the federal Animal Welfare Act. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), he kept, trained and sold fighting dogs, advertising them in Facebook Groups built around illegal dogfighting and messaging with buyers on Facebook Messenger. Prosecutors say he would have known at least some buyers wanted the dogs for fights.

Officers searched three homes tied to Daniels and Reginald Lionel Goodson and rescued at least 25 dogs. Some were still puppies. Prosecutors say the operation ran from January 2021 to May 2026. Goodson was indicted in June on a conspiracy charge, and his case is still pending.

Dogfighting leaves animals scarred, traumatized or dead. A light sentence would send a message to every ring still operating that the risk is worth it. “We are here to protect innocent animals from the abuse and suffering that comes with dog fighting,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said in a June statement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina and the federal court should pursue the strongest penalties available for both men. Meta, the company that owns Facebook, should shut down the groups where fighting dogs are bought and sold.

Sign the petition to demand maximum penalties before Daniels is sentenced and more dogs are put in the ring.