ISTANBUL

A US man has been sentenced to 475 years in prison after being convicted of dog fighting, the longest recorded sentence ever given for such a crime, according to a prosecutor involved in the case.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Dean C. Bucci sentenced Vincent Lemark Burrell, 57, for 93 counts of dog fighting and 10 counts of animal cruelty in the Southern US state of Georgia, as reported by NBC News. Burrell denied the charges.

Local authorities reported that 107 dogs were rescued from Burrell's property in 2022.

Jessica K. Rock, a state animal crimes resource prosecutor and special assistant US attorney in Georgia, told NBC News via email on Monday that this is the longest known sentence for dog fighting.

The case began in 2022 when a delivery worker noticed several dogs chained with heavy restraints on a property in Dallas, Georgia, about 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of the state capital Atlanta.

Concerned for the dogs’ welfare, the worker reported the situation to authorities, prompting an investigation.

That Nov. 8, Rock and local law enforcement did a search of the property and found 107 dogs showing signs of abuse, including malnutrition and a lack of food, water, and shelter, according to the district attorney’s office.

Many were restrained with heavy logging chains, a method known to increase aggression.

Some dogs were also found in a basement, living in unsanitary conditions with urine and feces covering the floor.

Burrell was arrested on charges of facilitating dog fights and animal cruelty.

A veterinarian who examined the dogs found that some had missing teeth and scars consistent with fighting, according to prosecutors.

The county seized the dogs under a federal warrant, and they were later placed in the care of the nonprofit group Friends of the Forlorn Animal Rescue, NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta reported.​​​​​​​