Pentagon official charged with running dog fighting ring
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Deputy Chief Information Officer Frederick D. Moorefield Jr. faces allegations of dog fighting involvement spanning over two decades.
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A high-ranking official within the Department of Defense, Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr. (Social media)
A high-ranking official within the Department of Defense communications team has been apprehended and accused of involvement in a dogfighting ring in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post reported.
The ring was systematically training dogs for fights, managing substantial wagers on the fight results, and euthanizing dogs that survived the matches but were severely injured, as court documents indicated.
Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr., aged 62, residing in Arnold, Maryland, held the position of Deputy Chief Information Officer responsible for command, control, and communications within the Secretary of Defense's Chief Information Officer's office, as indicated by court records and Moorefield's LinkedIn profile.
He was apprehended on Thursday, facing charges related to promoting and advancing animal fighting. A close associate, Mario D. Flythe, aged 49 and hailing from Glen Burnie, was also arrested in connection to these charges and reportedly confessed to his involvement in dogfighting.
Both individuals were granted release following their arraignment. Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman stated on Monday acknowledging that the Defense Department was informed of the criminal complaint filed against Moorefield in the federal district court in Baltimore.
“We can confirm that the individual is no longer in the workplace, but we cannot comment further on an individual personnel matter,” Gorman said.
Gorman did not disclose whether Moorefield's employment status involved suspension, termination, or retirement. An affidavit composed by FBI Special Agent Ryan C. Daly suggested that authorities have been conducting an investigation into the dogfighting ring, known as "the DMV Board," for an extended period.
Last year, nine other individuals involved in dogfighting were indicted in Virginia, with eight of them pleading guilty and assisting investigators. The affidavit noted that members of this group communicated via the Telegram messaging app, discussing various aspects related to training fighting dogs, sharing videos, organizing fights and wagers, and sharing information about the methods used to euthanize dogs that lost fights.
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