ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — Two Maryland men are facing charges following allegations of promoting an animal fighting venture.
Frederick Douglass Moorefield, 62, and Mario Damon Flythe, 49, are facing federal charges for their alleged involvement in promoting an illegal dog-fighting scheme.
The federal complaint was filed on September 21, but the records were just unsealed following Moorefield and Flythe’s appearance in court on Thursday.
According to the affidavit, Moorefield was a Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Moorefield and Flythe reportedly used an encrypted messaging board to talk to people across the country interested in dogfighting.
In the messaging board, Moorfield and Flythe would allegedly teach people how to train their dogs for dogfighting, exchange videos about dogfighting, and arrange and coordinate dogfights.
Officials claim in an illegal weekly newsletter, the pair also gave subscribers updates on betting, dogs who passed away from fighting, and dogs who were rescued from the heinous fighting ring by law enforcement.
The duo even reportedly discussed how to cover their tracks when law enforcement came sniffing around.
But their luck ran out on September 6 when officers served both of them with a search warrant at their homes. Twelve dogs were rescued during their search. Officers also confiscated veterinary steroids, training schedules, and a weighted dog vest.
Officers also seized devices used to murder the dogs that lost their fights.
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for possessing, training, or transporting animals for participation in an animal fighting venture. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.