BIRMINGHAM– The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama has highlighted three federal cases that produced historic outcomes, U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. announced.
The cases involved a nationwide illegal sports betting operation, the arrest of a wanted child exploitation offender and a large federal dog fighting investigation.
Williams said the cases demonstrate the work of federal prosecutors and their law enforcement partners. He said the office remains committed to protecting the public and enforcing federal law.
Largest Sports Betting Takedown in DOJ History
Federal prosecutors secured guilty pleas in what the office described as the largest sports betting enforcement action in U.S. Department of Justice history.
In February 2025, nine defendants pleaded guilty to managing a multimillion-dollar illegal sports betting operation. The organization eventually became known as Red44.
Those defendants were Timothy J. Pughsley, Nathan Burdette, Christopher Burdette, Thomas Zito, Gary Rapp, Mark Giaquinto, Matthew Voorhees, David Richards and Joshua Gentrup.
The operation conducted bookmaking and betting activities online through an offshore server in Costa Rica. The organization accepted an estimated $2 billion in wagers during its existence.
Under their plea agreements, the defendants agreed to pay more than $19.7 million in excise tax restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. They also agreed to satisfy any outstanding income tax obligations.
Assistance in Arrest of FBI Most Wanted Fugitive
The Northern District of Alabama also assisted in the arrest and prosecution of William Michael Spearman.
The office worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida to secure warrants in the case. The FBI later executed a no-knock warrant at Spearman’s home in Madison, where agents seized servers and arrested him.
Federal prosecutors handled Spearman’s preliminary and detention hearings in Huntsville. Those proceedings ensured he remained in federal custody.
Spearman later pleaded guilty in Florida to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. A federal court sentenced him to life in prison.
In June 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit dismissed Spearman’s illegal-search claim and upheld his conviction.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Spearman controlled one of the world’s largest darknet websites devoted to distributing child sexual abuse material. The international operation involved thousands of users and potentially thousands of child victims.
Second-Largest Animal Rescue in DOJ History
In a separate case, prosecutors secured a 10-year prison sentence against Carlton Lenard Adams for his role in a large-scale dog fighting operation.
Authorities rescued 78 dogs from three properties maintained by Adams. At that time, the recovery represented the second-largest number of dogs rescued from one defendant in a federal case.
Investigators found some dogs with scars and other injuries. Others lived in conditions of extreme neglect.
Law enforcement also recovered equipment and supplies associated with training and keeping dogs for fighting. The items included modified treadmills, veterinary steroids, syringes, skin staplers, intravenous equipment, a homemade breeding stand and a break stick.
In addition to the 120-month prison sentence, the court ordered Adams to pay $548,449 in restitution. The money covers the cost of caring for the 78 rescued pit bull-type dogs.
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