Despite just now making news, back in September, 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 is now facing up to five years in prison for his involvement.
Using secured and encrypted messaging to talk with other dogfighters across the US, both parties discussed bets, dogs that went down as a result of the fights, and media reports that have come in about others who had been caught dogfighting said the US Attorney’s office. Under the titles “Geehad Kennels” for Moorefield and “Razor Sharp Kennels” for Flythe, the two were known well for their dogfighting operations. They worked together often.
In response to the charges, the DOD released a statement where they claimed he had left their employment but could not comment further.
According to the district attorney’s office, a warrant had been executed on September 6th, and 12 dogs were found that day. Along with the 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’” were found. An electrical plus with jumper cables attached to it was also found. This is used to kill the dogs who lost fights.
Somehow, the DA lacked the commonsense to leave these two confined as they pend trial and quickly moved to release them. Given how the messages showed the two trying to figure out via message how to avoid getting caught by law enforcement, they showed total contempt for the system and still got a pass, as the US Pretrial Services are responsible for their release on related charges.
Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, seemed to take personal interest in the case and these two. “The mistreatment of animals for sport is among the lowest level of human conduct. Those who engage in this cruelty will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” As they have already shown Barron, these two and others who were swept up with them could not care less about the well-being of animals or others.
Cruelty crimes like this are like child sexual abuse charges; they know full well what they do, and yet they do not care. To them, there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. They think it’s okay and claim it as a part of their “culture.”
As Michael Vick showed, dogfighting isn’t a cultural thing like seal harvests by the Alaskan Natives or even cooking dogs in Korea. This is cruelty perpetuated by groups of people who could care less about the unnecessary suffering of animals. Not to be confused with a humane harvest of a deer, or the slaughter of a cow, this is straight-up torture.
Much like rooster fighting, these sadists train their dogs to attack and do everything they can to give them an edge to win. From unnecessary drugs to horrific training and supplementation, they do everything they can to get an edge and punish these animals further and further. Those who don’t win either die in the fight pit or thereafter. Sometimes nursed back to health to once be a bait dog but often killed out of necessity, there is no righteous win for anyone here.
The dogs who survive this hell often are not able to be rehomed and have massive physical and mental trauma. For them, this isn’t a good life or even a fair life. If anything, this is the kind of life that leaves them begging for death. Here’s hoping both of these defendants will be praying for their own death shortly. God knows prisoners aren’t friendly with crimes against animals or kids.
