Norman Dixson of Griffin, Georgia, has been arraigned on federal charges that include sponsoring and exhibiting a dog in an animal fighting venture, promoting animal fighting, animal crushing, and wire fraud. The arraignment took place on December 4, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard after a federal grand jury indicted Dixson on October 28, 2025.
“The indictment alleges that Dixson viciously abused dogs and repeatedly lied to obtain COVID relief funds,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This depraved and deceitful conduct cannot be tolerated and commands aggressive prosecution.”
Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Southeast Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, commented on the investigation: “An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving the unemployment insurance program. This collaborative investigative effort with our federal partners reaffirms our commitment to investigate these types of allegations.”
According to information presented in court by U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and details from the indictment, Dixson is accused of being involved in seven separate animal fighting ventures and suffocating a dog. He also faces charges related to defrauding the Small Business Administration and a commercial lender by obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through false statements, including submitting a fraudulent tax form and making further misrepresentations when seeking loan forgiveness.
Additionally, Dixson is charged with conducting Unemployment Insurance fraud by submitting false claims to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development for himself and others.
The case is under investigation by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Sistla and Samir Kaushal are prosecuting.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges at this stage; Dixson is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The Department of Justice created the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021 to coordinate efforts across government agencies against pandemic-related fraud schemes. The task force focuses on investigating major domestic and international actors involved in such crimes while supporting agencies that manage relief programs through enhanced coordination mechanisms and sharing insights from previous enforcement actions. More information about this initiative can be found at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Individuals with information about attempted COVID-19 fraud can report it via phone or online using resources provided by the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For more details about this case or related matters, contact information for the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
