Edward Bishop, 49, of Buffalo pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William Skretny to a felony charge of sponsoring an animal in an animal-fighting venture. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mango, who handled the case, stated that Bishop was convicted of sponsoring and exhibiting an animal in the venture for the purposes of sport, wagering and entertainment. The defendant specifically entered a dog he owned into a dog fight, wagering approximately $4,000 on the results. This case is related to the recent conviction of Leon Nelson, who was sentenced to a year and a day in prison on June 25.

"No civilized society should tolerate the type of gratuitous cruelty to animals that dog fighting represents," said U.S. Attorney William Hochul. "To think that someone would encourage a dog to hurt another for the sole purpose of making a bet really boggles the mind."

The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-In-Charge James Robertson.