INDIANAPOLIS -- An attorney for a couple charged in what the police called the city's largest dogfighting bust claims a confidential informant in the case is being given special treatment, despite his criminal actions.

Indianapolis police arrested 23 people during an Aug. 6 raid of a suspected dogfighting ring in the 3000 block of West 60th Street.

Slideshow: Inside Dog Fighting Raid

Nine pit bulls, some of them scarred, scratched and bloodied, were removed from inside and outside the home, along with drugs, more than $10,000 cash, guns and fighting equipment, police said.

Tyrus Williams, 27, and his girlfriend, Shinetra Kemp, 26, lived at the home, and are charged with promoting animal fighting, possession of an animal for fighting and possession of animal fighting paraphernalia.

Six months before the bust, the couple said they befriended a man named Donnie, who lived with them.

Their attorney said the man is now serving as a confidential informant in this case and has not been charged, although he may have committed some of the egregious offenses, 6News' Derrik Thomas reported.

"(He was) suggesting when dogfighting should be set up, mistreating his own animal, trying to hang them (the dogs), trying to hurt them," said attorney Kim Devane. "By letting them fight while he is a CI, is equivalent to a CI, in a drug case, continuing to smoke crack until everyone gets busted, I think that's foul play."

Devane said the man also drugged the dogs, brought paraphernalia over to the house and encouraged the couple to set up the fights.

Officials with the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said they could not respond to the allegations.

All of the other defendants -- charged with attending an animal fighting contest, a misdemeanor -- were in court on Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing. No jury trial date has been set.

Devane said she is also considering motions to challenge the search warrant used to conduct the raid. She said her clients have no prior criminal histories in Indiana.