(RepublicanPress.org) – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reported there are over 40,000 people in the US who participate in organized dogfighting, even though the vicious and cruel practice is illegal in all 50 states — a felony. Not only is participating in a dogfight a crime, but attending one of the brutal events is also against the law in many states.
On October 2, the deputy chief information officer for command, communications, and control at the Department of Defense, Frederick Moorefield Jr., was arrested and charged in September for his alleged involvement in such an event. According to Maryland authorities, Moorefield was “promoting and furthering [an] animal fighting venture” in the Washington, DC area. The criminal complaint was filed on September 21 but was recently unsealed. US Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson ruled that Moorefield and his co-defendant, Mario Damon Flythe, could be released pending trial. However, both are under the US Pretrial Services’ supervision.
Senior Pentagon official charged over dogfighting ring | The Hill https://t.co/4oXRNzma2y
— The Mad Ox (@TheRealMadOx) October 4, 2023
According to the affidavit, both suspects used a Telegram to talk about dogfighting with other individuals across the US using monikers representing their respective illegal operations. They reportedly discussed details about the dogfighting circuit, including how to train, betting, dog fight arrangements, and dogs that had died during the barbaric practice.
In early September, police executed a search warrant on Moorefield’s residence in Arnold, Maryland, and Flythe’s home in Glen Burnie, Maryland. During these searches, law enforcement recovered 12 dogs, animal steroids, training schedules, a bloodstained carpet, and the means typically used to execute the animals who lost.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman confirmed the Defense Department knew about the criminal complaint but didn’t mention Moorefield’s future with the Pentagon. He refused to say whether or not the defendant was still employed with the DoD. According to The Washington Post, FBI Special Agent Ryan C. Daly wrote that online records show Moorefield has been active in the dogfighting community “since at least 2002.”
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