SURRY, Va., Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Animal-rights groups asked a Virginia judge to send former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to almost five years in prison on dog-fighting charges.
The groups said this week Vick should be ordered to pay for the rehabilitation of fighting dogs found on his property, The Newport News Daily-Press reported.
Vick is scheduled to be sentenced in December after pleading guilty to conspiracy last month. He has been suspended from the NFL.
His plea bargain calls for a sentence of no more than 18 months.
Prosecutors said Vick and three others operated a dog-fighting business known as Bad Newz Kennels. The dogs were housed on property Vick owned in Surry County, Va., a rural area south of the James River, and he allegedly took an active part in the business, including killing dogs that did not show fighting spirit.
The animal-rights groups estimated that rehabilitating the dogs could cost as much as $10 million.
