Panama City, Fla. — Two Bay County men have pleaded guilty to federal charges connected to an organized dog fighting operation that spanned several years, with one also admitting to illegally possessing firearms.
Fredricus White, 38, and Cornelious Johnson, 41, both of Panama City, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy charges involving the possession and training of fighting dogs in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. In addition to the animal cruelty charges, White pleaded guilty to possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida.
Federal court records show that between 2018 and February 2024, White and Johnson were involved in a criminal conspiracy that included breeding and training dogs for illegal fights, gambling on the outcomes, and operating dog fighting compounds on rural properties in the Panama City area. The two were previously arrested in Georgia in 2022 during an illegal dog fight and later faced federal charges stemming from that incident.
In February 2024, law enforcement executed federal arrest warrants and uncovered two properties in Bay County where the men continued to keep and train fighting dogs. A search of White’s residence also turned up three firearms. As a previously convicted felon — with convictions dating back to 2009 and 2012 — White was barred from owning firearms under federal law.
“These defendants engaged in cruel and continued mistreatment of animals, but now they will find themselves locked in a cell for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Heekin. “Animal cruelty enterprises like this one are not only barbaric but often tied to broader patterns of community violence. We will not tolerate this cruelty in the Northern District of Florida.”
The case was the result of a multi-agency investigation involving the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith L. Steer, with support from the Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating violent crime, dismantling criminal enterprises, and protecting communities from transnational criminal organizations.
