Posted on 01/14/2005 8:50:40 AM PST by lindor
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A pit bull enthusiast who sold videos of dogfights and dogs attacking a pig became the first person on Thursday to be convicted under a federal law banning depictions of cruelty to animals, prosecutors said.
Robert Stevens, 64, of Pittsville, Virginia, was found guilty in a Pittsburgh court of selling three videos a jury decided violated the ban on depicting the intentional maiming, mutilation or torture of animals or any wounding or killing.
Under the law, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1999, prosecutors must also prove such videos have no serious educational, historical or scientific value.
Stevens who runs a company called Dogs of Velvet and Steel, also sold "break sticks" and "spring poles," which are used to condition pit bulls for fighting. Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states.
Stevens advertised the videos in an underground dog-fighting paper called the Sporting Dog Journal, which reports the results of illegal dog fights. He was caught by undercover law enforcement officials posing as customers.
"This dangerous and inhumane crime promotes violence and degrades our community," said Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. attorney for Western Pennsylvania, in a statement after the verdict. "Justice has been done in a very serious case."
U.S. District Judge Alan Bloch also banned Stevens from owning, breeding, training or selling pit bulls or possessing any device used in dog fighting. The court rejected Stevens' argument that banning the videos denied his First Amendment rights of free speech.
Stevens faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $750,000. His sentencing was set for April 21.
amen. there's a special place in Hell for people who like to hurt animals (or even watching it).
WTF? We have a FEDERAL law banning this fringe stuff, but so much other filth causing far much more harm to our society supposedly falls under 1st Amendment protection. Idiocy.
Arf.
Most likely because he was selling the videos interstate and by prosecuting him through the Federal courts his punishment could be more severe. Cruelty to animals is hardly "fringe stuff".
Thanks for posting that video. I know very little about the Pit Bull breed but I recognize cruelty when I see it.
Robert Stevens, of Pittsville found guilty in Pittsburgh of fighting pitbulls.
What kind of sick **** buys these things?
Abortion? Hey, it's a choice! Let's protect it, screw the babies.
Dog fighting? Oh, the shock and horror! Let's ban and prosecute it, poor Rover.
Seems like we have our priorities screwed up.
No kidding.
You can hardly turn on the TV without seeing depictions of humans beating and killing each other, blood soaked video games are the national pastime, porno of every sick fetish you could imagine is a $15-20 billion industry, all of that is completely legal but some old hillbilly sold a couple videos of dog fights and that by God is an assault on our mores and the federales are going to come in and protect us by putting him away for 15 years.
What a waste of resources.
Yep! That's what I'm talking about. I love my pets and all, but let's take care of all the crimes and moral assaults against our two-legged neighbors, then we can move on to help our four-legged friends.
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