A communications official in the Defense Department was arrested for allegedly running a dogfighting operation in which he electrocuted the losing dogs that he trained, The Washington Post reported Monday.
Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr., 62, of Arnold, Maryland, trained the dogs, fielded bets on the matches and used jumper cables found at his home to allegedly execute the animals that didn’t die in the ring, according to court records cited by the newspaper.
In an early September raid on his home and that of an alleged accomplice, Mario D. Flythe, the FBI and other agencies said they also discovered about a dozen pit bull-type dogs, veterinary steroids, weighted vests, collars and chains to increase the animals’ strength, and “an apparatus that is used for involuntarily inseminating female dogs,” the Post and CBS News reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland noted that Moorefield, a deputy chief information officer, and Flythe were charged with promoting and furthering animal fighting ventures.
A Pentagon spokesperson said Moorefield was “no longer in the workplace” but gave no details.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the defendants, who allegedly used an encrypted messaging app to promote their illicit enterprises, made a court appearance on Sept. 28 and were released pending trial.