Vick’s co-defendants get 18, 21 months
November 30, 2007 at 11:01 am by Scott Freeman in News, SportsQuanis Phillips and Purnell Peace — who were two of Michael Vick’s closest friends and later turned on him when they agreed to plead guilty to dogfighting conspiracy charges and to testify against him — were sentenced to federal prison this morning in Richmond, Va.
Phillips was one of Vick’s childhood friends and later worked at MV7, Vick’s marketing company. He received a 21-month sentence. Peace received an 18-month sentence. As part of his plea agreement, Phillips gave a statement that said Vick joined in executing at least eight dogs that didn’t do well in test fights by various methods, including hanging and drowning.
“You may have thought this was sporting, but it was very callous and cruel,” U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson told Phillips.
The sentence handed down to Phillips and Peace give an indication of what Vick will face when he is sentenced Dec. 10.
If Vick receives an 18-month sentence in the federal case, the earliest he could return to professional football — if a team will sign him — would be 2009. However, he also faces two state charges in Virginia that have his football career in deeper limbo: Vick could be sentenced to five years in prison on each of those counts.
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