A top Department of Defense official faces up to five years in federal prison after being charged with promoting dogfighting, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.
Frederick Moorefield Jr., 62, a deputy chief information officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Mario Flythe, 49, were charged last month with "promoting and furthering" dogfighting.
Moorefield and Flythe allegedly used an encrypted messaging app to talk with people across the country about dogfighting bets, dogs that died from dogfighting and media reports about people charged with dogfighting, the U.S. attorney's office said Monday.
The two men also allegedly discussed how to train dogs for dogfighting, planned dogfights and talked about how to evade law enforcement.
Moorefield and Flythe used the monikers "Geehad Kennels" and "Razor Sharp Kennels," respectively, to identify their dogfighting operations, according to the district attorney's office.
"We are aware of the criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland," the Defense Department said in a statement. "We can confirm that the individual is no longer in the workplace, but we cannot comment further on an individual personnel matter."
A lawyer for Moorefield was not immediately available for comment.
Officers executed search warrants at the homes of Moorefield and Flythe on Sep. 6 and found 12 dogs, "veterinary steroids, training schedules, a carpet that appeared to be stained with blood, and a weighted dog vest with a patch reading 'Geehad Kennels,' " the district attorney's office said.
They also found a contraption made with an electrical plug and jumper cables, which allegedly is used to kill dogs that lose fights, according to the district attorney's office.
Moorefield and Flythe will remain unreleased from custody pending a trial.
Moorefield was responsible for issuing guidance for Defense Department policy and technical issues, and strategizing communication plans for the agency's "non-nuclear strategic strike" and "integrated missile defense," among other things, according to an older version of the agency's website.
Moorefield does not appear on the agency's current website.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
