An Alabama man has been indicted on federal dogfighting charges.
Carlton Lenard Adams, 51, maintained a stock of 78 fighting dogs at three properties – two in Bessemer and one in Adger, according to the indictment announced Wednesday.
All of the dogs were rescued by federal authorities.
Adams is charged with illegally possessing dogs for fighting purposes and illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
According to the 17-count indictment, Adams lived part-time at a home in Adger and a different home in Bessemer.
He kept 62 fighting dogs at his property in Adger, 10 at his Bessemer residence, and six more at the home of an acquaintance, also in Adger.
The investigation began in September 2023.
Agents recovered tools and supplies used in the training and keeping of dogs used for fighting, including modified treadmills to hold dogs in place for dog fight conditioning.
Also found were injectable veterinary steroids, suture materials and syringes, skin staplers, a weighted dog vest, homemade breeding stand used to immobilize female dogs who are too aggressive to mate naturally, and a break stick device used to break the bite hold of a dog during specified intervals in a dog fight.
Adams was also in possession of two pistols and a semi-automatic shotgun known as a “Street Sweeper,” which under federal law is deemed not just a gun but a “destructive device.”
The dogs were rescued and cared for by a program administered by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney’s Office successfully sought civil forfeiture of the dogs so they could not be returned to Adams, and instead rehabilitated and evaluated for possible adoption.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are investigating the case.
Under federal law, it is illegal to fight animals and to possess, train, transport, deliver, receive, buy, or sell animals intended for use in an animal fighting venture.
If convicted, Adams faces penalties up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each firearms charge, and up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count of animal fighting charges.