Men headed to prison for dogfighting ring

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ST. LOUIS, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Four men will spend several months in prison for operating a dogfighting ring that spanned multiple states including Missouri, a judge said.

U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson sentenced Teddy "Teddy Bogart" Kiriakidis, 50, and Ronald Creach, 34, to 18 months in prison for their part in the dogfighting ring.

Meanwhile, Michael "Missouri Mike" Morgan, 38, and Robert Hackman, 56, received prison sentences of one year and a day. All four men pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to violate federal animal fighting laws. Morgan and Hackman's sentences also included another animal fighting charge.

The Post-Dispatch said Jackson chastised the men for operating the dogfighting ring that resulted in the arrests of 24 people in Missouri, Illinois and other states, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday.

"Most people would find it difficult to take pleasure in watching two animals tear each other apart. Unfortunately, there are people like you who facilitate this activity," Jackson said in court Tuesday.