A former NFL running back was sentenced to five years in federal prison Thursday for operating a large-scale dogfighting ring in Oklahoma that "resulted in death and serious bodily injury" to hundreds of pit bulls, according to a Department of Justice release. Le Shon Johnson, who played for three NFL teams from 1994 to 1999, was convicted of six felonies last August in an Oklahoma federal court.

In addition to the prison sentence, Johnson will have three years of supervised release and must pay a $30,000 fine. Johnson, 55, surrendered 190 dogs to the government after his conviction. The DOJ said it's the largest number of dogs seized from one individual in a federal dogfighting case.

Johnson bred and trafficked pit bulls operating as "Mal Kant Kennels" in Oklahoma since at least 2007 and bred "champion and grand champion" pit bulls to create offspring with fighting traits. In 2004, Johnson pleaded guilty in state court on dogfighting charges and received a five-year deferred sentence.

"Le Shon Johnson will face justice for building another particularly egregious and violent dog fighting scheme," associate attorney general Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said. Johnson could have received a maximum of five years per count. Federal prosecutors asked for a 10-year sentence. Johnson's attorney, Billy Coyle IV, told ESPN he was surprised by the length and would recommend an appeal.