RICHMOND, Virginia (CNN) – One of the co-defendants in the Michael Vick federal dogfighting case pleaded guilty on Monday and pledged to fully cooperate with prosecutors.
Tony Taylor walks into the federal courthouse in Richmond, Virginia, to enter his guilty plea.
1 of 2 Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia, entered the guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Richmond. He will be sentenced December 14.
Taylor, along with Vick and two other co-defendants, had pleaded not guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.
In changing his plea to guilty, Taylor waived his right to appeal. He told the judge that he understands he is now a convicted felon.
It is widely believed that Taylor's plea, which had been expected, and his future cooperation could hurt Vick and help the government prove its case against the Atlanta Falcons' star quarterback.
The president the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP criticized the prosecution of Vick at a news conference Monday morning. Dr. R.L. White, Jr., accused the government of "piling on."
"There's a penalty in football for piling on," White told reporters. "After a player has been tackled and somebody piles on, they're penalized for unnecessary roughness. Today, the NAACP blows the whistle and warns the powers that be that you are piling on." Watch White caution the public to keep an open mind »
Along with Vick, Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia, are scheduled to stand trial on November 26.
They were charged by a federal grand jury last week with organizing bloody and vicious dogfights on a piece of property that Vick bought in 2001. They also are accused of transporting and delivering dogs across state lines.
The indictment says Taylor discovered the site that became the Bad Newz Kennels -- the staging area for housing and training the pit bulls and hosting dog fights.
Prosecutors also accuse Taylor of helping to buy pit bulldogs and puppies, and of executing at least two dogs "who did not perform well in 'testing' sessions ... by shooting one dog and electrocuting the other."
If the men are convicted on both portions of the conspiracy charge, they each could be sentenced to up to six years in prison and fined $350,000, prosecutors said.
The indictment says dogs that didn't show enough fighting spirit or lost matches also were put to death by drowning and hanging.
Prosecutors allege that on one occasion earlier this year, Vick participated in killing eight dogs.
Vick is one of pro football's highest-profile and highest-paid players, signing a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons in 2004. He was a standout at Virginia Tech and the first player chosen in the 2001 NFL draft.
