Frederick Douglass Moorefield, Jr., a former Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Department of Defense, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to his prison term, Moorefield will serve six months of home detention and pay a $20,000 fine along with a forfeiture money judgment of $21,576. Following his release from prison, he will be under supervised release for three years.
Moorefield's conviction stems from his involvement in a multi-state dogfighting conspiracy. The investigation into Moorefield began when two dead dogs were discovered in Annapolis, Maryland in November 2018. Mail addressed to Moorefield was found with the bodies, which bore wounds consistent with dogfighting.
Federal agents identified Moorefield as part of a dogfighting network known as the "DMV Board," operating across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. He managed "Geehad Kennels" at his home in Arnold where he bred and trained dogs for fights over two decades.
Evidence from Moorefield’s phone and iCloud account revealed exchanges about arranging dogfights and wagers with other DMV Board members. Conversations included discussions on breeding fighting dogs and procuring supplies while also speculating about investigations into their activities.
The investigation uncovered that Moorefield organized fights by identifying the weight class of dogs involved and setting fight dates weeks in advance. If a dog lost but survived a fight, it was often killed by electrocution using jumper cables connected to an electrical outlet.
Monetary transactions related to dogfighting were conducted through CashApp with misleading labels such as "housewarming gift." In September 2023, law enforcement searched Moorefield's residence recovering five pit-bull-type dogs along with evidence of his involvement in organizing dogfights.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the collaborative efforts of multiple agencies including the FBI and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their role in the investigation leading to Moorefield's conviction.
