Two Statesville Men Face Federal Charges for Breeding Pit Bulls for Dog Fighting; 25 Dogs Rescued, Including Puppies

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Two Statesville men are facing federal charges for allegedly running a multi-state commercial dog breeding operation that bred pit bulls that were advertised and sold for illegal dog fighting, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

The federal indictment was unsealed yesterday, charging Juelz Christopher Daniels, 19, and Reginald Lionel Goodson, Jr., 55, with one count of conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act. Daniels is also charged with three counts charging the possession, training, and sale of fighting dogs, and eight counts of violating the Animal Welfare Act, related primarily to his possession, training, and sale of fighting dogs, and advertising fighting dogs for sale on Facebook. Daniels and Goodson were arrested last Thursday. Law enforcement also executed search warrants at three residences, where they rescued and seized 25 pit bull-type dogs, including puppies, as well as other items, tools, and paraphernalia associated with breeding and training animals for dog fighting.

"It's unbelievable people still engage in dog fighting activities," said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. "We are here to protect innocent animals from the abuse and suffering that comes with dog fighting."

"When the FBI investigates illegal dog-fighting operations, we're not just stopping cruelty, we are disrupting violent criminal networks that harm both people and animals," said Reid Davis, the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge.

According to allegations in the indictment, from January 2021 to May 2026, Daniels and Goodson maintained properties where they bred, housed, and trained pit bull-type dogs intended for dog fights. They also used fighting training equipment and paraphernalia in their operations, including treadmills, bite sticks, heavy metal chains, animal hides, and "spring poles" or "flirt poles"-all to increase the animals' strength and stamina. The defendants also allegedly trained and conditioned the pit bull-type dogs to fight in dog fights, and evaluated their dogs' strengths, capabilities, aptitudes and willingness or inclination to fight.

According to allegations in the indictment, Daniels and Goodson operated one or more dog kennels, including "Hoodwoods Kennels," for the purpose of raising pit bull-type dogs for dog fighting. It is further alleged that the defendants selectively bred pit bull-type dogs to display particular traits desirable for dog fighting, including aggressiveness and propensity to fight other dogs, often referred to as "gameness," or a willingness to continue fighting another dog despite traumatic or mortal injury, among others.

The indictment further alleges that Daniels routinely posted advertisements for various pit bull-type dogs that he and Goodson bred and sold on multiple Facebook Groups dedicated to illegal dog fighting and to various individuals via Facebook Messenger. In the advertisements, Daniels allegedly touted the fighting bloodlines of the dogs, at times posting or providing links to the dogs' pedigrees and bloodlines claiming the dogs were the offspring of dog fighting champions, a "champion" being a dog that has won three or more dog fights. Daniels and Goodson also frequently posted and shared pictures of pit bull-type dogs consistent with various methods of training dogs for dog fighting.

The defendants allegedly marketed and advertised on Facebook the dogs they bred and trained for dog fighting and communicated with others about the dogs' victories, bloodlines, and training, as well as discussed details about the price, purchase, transfer, and delivery of the dogs to interested buyers. For example, in November 2025, Daniels allegedly posted a link in a Facebook Group to a pedigree alongside a picture of a black-colored young pit bull-type dog tethered in a chain spot captioned "[y]ou will hear about him soon." The pedigree listed the dog's breeder and owner as "Hoodwoods." The pedigree included notations identifying some members of the advertised dog's bloodline as "2XW," "POR" and "ROM." The notation of "XW" on a pedigree indicated the dog was a winner (in this instance, a two-time winner). A dog that produced multiple offspring that went on to be champions was bestowed the prestigious "Register of Merit" (ROM) or "Producer of Record" (POR) title and drove the sales and pricing of fighting dogs.

Both defendants are in federal custody. If convicted, Daniels and Goodson each face a sentence of up to five years in prison for the charge of conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act, and Daniels faces a sentence of up to five years in prison for each count of possession and commerce of fighting dogs and for each count of advertising fighting animals through interstate commerce. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The charges against the defendants are allegations, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson credited the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, the Iredell County Sheriff's Office, the Burke County Sheriff's Office, the Catawba County Sheriff's Office, the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, and the Hickory Police Department for their investigation and assistance in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at 1-800-424-9121 or online at https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotlineLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..