Five people have been charged with running what the FBI is calling a very sophisticated cockfighting ring in San Bernardino County.
Cockfighting is a brutal 'blood sport' where participants attach blades to roosters' legs and send them to fight to the death, which is a federal crime.
Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the US attorney's office in Los Angeles, tells KNX News' Emily Valdez, "Unfortunately, this sort of stuff takes place, and it's certainly the job of law enforcement to try and protect animals when we can."
FBI Agents conducted an undercover operation that yielded the arrests of four suspects, with one still being sought.
According to the FBI affidavit, Isidro Chaparro Sanchez, 59, of Corona, Luis Octavio Angulo, 61, of Rialto, Sergio Jimenez Maldonado, 51, of San Bernardino, and Eva Anilu Pastor Uriostegui, 53, of Moreno Valley were arrested at an event.
Law enforcement is looking for Cirilo Esquivel Alcantar, 56, of San Bernardino, who is also charged in this case.
Charges include aiding, abetting, inducing, and willfully causing another person to sponsor and exhibit an animal in an animal-fighting venture.
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McEvoy said, the group operated cockfights every Sunday during the summer, often with more than 100 people in attendance.
He said, "You park your car about, you pay 20 bucks. It's about nearly a mile away. You get shuttled to the cockfighting location. There's usually a $40 entry fee, and then you can place bets on the cockfights and participate in a raffle."
The FBI alleges that some participants had hundreds of fighting roosters and paid up to $1,000 per 4 entries.
The defendants face up to five years in federal prison.
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