A Williamsburg-area man who sold a champion pit bull to suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting operation has pleaded guilty in Richmond to a federal dogfighting charge.

Oscar Allen entered the plea to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce to aid in illegal gambling and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting, the same charge to which Vick and his three co-defendants in the Bad Newz Kennels operation pleaded guilty. Vick is expected to be sentenced in December.

Allen is scheduled to be sentenced January 25. He faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. He was released with conditions.

U.S. Attorney Michael Gill recommended that Allen spend no time in prison if he complies with conditions of the plea agreement, because Allen cooperated with the investigation, had no prior criminal record and had limited involvement with Bad Newz Kennels.

But U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson said he isn't bound by that recommendation.