Federal and county law enforcement taking on more cases, breaking up more cockfighting and dogfighting rings
Riverside, CA — Leaders of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy praised the FBI for its Sunday break-up of a cockfighting ring in the Inland Empire, exercising a federal anti-animal fighting law that can deliver felony-level penalties to perpetrators.
For nearly a year, authorities investigated a property hosting weekly cockfights, complete with an unlicensed bar and taco stand. Spectators paid to watch roosters fight to the death while equipped with sharp blades, placing bets and participating in raffles. Animal Wellness Action provided important assets in this case.
The FBI led the effort, which led to the arrests of five individuals, including the property owner, who are charged with organizing and running the operation. The cockfights generated significant profits, with attendees paying entry fees and parking charges. The investigation revealed the roosters were often transported from other states for the fights. The defendants face up to five years in prison if convicted.
“We applaud the FBI for investing such meaningful time and resources in this raid, and Animal Wellness Action is pleased to have assisted in this case,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “San Bernardino County remains a hot spot for cockfighting, and with this raid, we hope that turns around today. Cockfighting is always bound up with other crimes, and when law enforcement breaks up an animal fighting network, it increases safety in our communities.”
Cockfighting is a felony in most states and at the federal level but only a misdemeanor in California. The state is one of the top cockfighting states by any measure. Just two weeks ago, there was a major bust in Santa Cruz County by local law enforcement. A few years ago, in Los Angeles County, the county sheriff conducted the largest cockfighting bust ever, with cockfighters from the Southland clustering 7,000 birds. The federal government in 2022 convicted “Chicken Joe” Sanford of Ceres, Calif. after law enforcement raided a complex with nearly 3,000 fighting birds. There have been other busts throughout the state.
“As a veterinarian, I am sickened by staged animal fights,” said retired Army Colonel Thomas Pool, D.V.M., senior veterinarian of Animal Wellness Action. “Cockfighting is barbaric, and I commend the FBI for doing its duty to enforce anti-cruelty laws.” Dr. Pool is former chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Command, a tri-service U.S. military command.
The FIGHT Act
The weekend raid comes as Congress considers taking up the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act to address the threat that animal fighting poses to community safety, agriculture, and animal well-being.
Millions of fighting animals are trafficked into and out of the United States every year, with hundreds of thousands smuggled across the U.S. border with Mexico. The long-distance movement of birds, who are often infected with avian diseases, is a threat to production agriculture for broiler birds and laying hens. To address this continuing problem and to give law enforcement more tools to end this barbaric trade, Animal Wellness Action and the Center have been working to pass the FIGHT Act.
The FIGHT Act, by amending Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act, would enhance the enforcement opportunities by banning on-line gambling of animal fighting ventures; halting the shipment of mature roosters (chickens only) shipped through the U.S. mail (it is already illegal to ship dogs through the mail); creating a citizen suit provision, after proper notice to federal authorities, to allow private right of action against illegal animal fighters; and enhancing forfeiture provisions to include real property for animal fighting crimes.
Animal Wellness Action is calling on all U.S. lawmakers, including Washington elected officials in Washington, D.C., to cosponsor the FIGHT Act. The measure has 650 endorsing agencies and organizations and has strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.
“Nothing is more important to the cause of eradicating animal fighting than passing the FIGHT Act in 2024,” Pacelle added.
Reward Program
To help combat dogfighting and cockfighting, Animal Wellness Action has launched a new reward program that offers cash compensation not only for information that leads to arrests and convictions, but also for tips on the location of planned or occurring cockfights in the state. The organization will provide $2,500 to any individual who provides tips to us or law enforcement that results in arrests in California for illegal cockfighting under state or federal law. Amounts for other information will vary based on the credibility and timeliness of the tips.
Tipsters may contact [email protected].