RICHMOND, Va. -- A federal prosecutor in Virginia says four people have pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting and conspiracy charges for their roles in an interstate dogfighting network across the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey.
Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh says in a news release that the four defendants and their co-conspirators participated in animal-fighting ventures from April 2013 through July 2018.
Those ventures involved training, transporting, and breeding dogs for dogfighting events.
In one instance in April 2016, three of the defendants met up with others at a store parking in King George, Virginia, and went to a fight location, the news release said. The three then participated in a “two-card” dogfight, in which there are two separate dogfights with different dogs and handlers. One of the dogs died from injuries suffered in the fight, court documents said.
Authorities say the case was prosecuted as part of Operation Grand Champion, a coordinated effort across many federal judicial districts to combat organized dogfighting.
