Vick Prosecutors Want Cash for Dog Care

Nov. 20, 2007— -- Just one day after Michael Vick voluntarily started serving an anticipated prison sentence on dog fighting charges, prosecutors asked a judge to freeze nearly $1 million of the fallen football star's assets to pay for the care of the dogs taken from his Virginia property.

"The costs associated with seizing, maintaining and ultimately placing the pit bulls seized from 1915 Moonlight Rd. is significant, with a current estimate placing the total costs at approximately $928,073.04," U.S. attorney Chuck Rosenberg's office said in a motion filed Tuesday.

Federal agents seized approximately 54 dogs while executing a search warrant at Vick's property in Smithfield, Va., home of the dog fighting operation Bad Newz Kennels.

Though one of the pit bulls was euthanized after the raid, the filing notes that "the ongoing evaluation process has revealed that a significant number of these pit bulls may be eligible for adoption and placement in sanctuaries around the United States."

Various shelters in Virginia have been holding the dogs since the raid.

The filing cites a provision in Vick's plea agreement in the case, in which Vick agreed to pay "restitution for the full amount of the costs associated with the disposition of all dogs" involved in the case, as named in a separate civil action.

"This provision is explicitly clear: Vick agreed to pay the full amount of costs associated with the care, euthanasia and long-term care of the dogs seized from his property on April 25, 2007," the prosecutors wrote.

But the care of the dogs isn't Vick's only financial burden, according to the court documents. The filing lists a number of pending matters involving Vick, including the Atlanta Falcons' move to recoup bonus money from his 2004 10-year, $130 million contract. The contract was the largest ever in NFL history.

The filing notes that in October, an arbitrator ruled in favor of the team, saying it could recover nearly $20 million in bonuses from Vick, though the matter is on appeal.