Pentagon Official Has Allegedly Been Dogfighting for 20 Years

A senior member of the Pentagon communications staff has allegedly spent the last two decades taking part in a dogfighting ring. Last month, agencies including the FBI and Department of Agriculture raided the Maryland homes of Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr. and a friend, Mario D. Flythe, finding they kept five pit bull-type dogs each, per the Washington Post. According to a federal affidavit, investigators also found a bloodstained carpet; "a device consisting of an electrical plug and jumper cables" used to execute injured dogs; veterinary steroids, weighted collars, and chains used to boost a dog's strength; and "an apparatus that is used for involuntarily inseminating female dogs," per the Post.

Authorities have been investigating the dogfighting ring known as the DMV Board for years and have arrested numerous members, according to the affidavit. Members across the US allegedly use the messaging app Telegram to arrange fights and bets, share training videos, debate methods of euthanasia, and discuss how to conceal their conduct from police. Online records indicate Moorefield—a deputy chief information officer for command, control, and communications in the Office of the Secretary of Defense—has been involved in the ring since at least 2002, per the affidavit. In November 2018, Anne Arundel County animal control found two dead dogs inside a plastic dog food bag that also contained mail addressed to Moorefield, who lived 6 miles away, the affidavit states.

It additionally claims Moorefield, 62, of Arnold, and Flythe, 49, of Glen Burnie, were "experimenting with different types of performance-enhancing drugs to improve [their] chances of winning dogfights," per the Post. Both are charged with possessing, training, or transporting animals for participation in an animal fighting venture, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, as well as related charges, per the New York Times. They've been released pending trial. A Defense Department spokesperson said Monday that it was "aware of the criminal complaint" against Moorefield, who "is no longer in the workplace," per the Post. The rep didn't say if Moorefield quit, retired, or was fired. (More dogfighting stories.)