Onill Vazquez Lozada of Providence, Rhode Island, has entered a guilty plea to charges related to cockfighting under the Animal Welfare Act. The plea involves two counts of possessing, sponsoring, and exhibiting birds in an animal fighting venture.
Lozada acknowledged to possessing roosters intended for fighting on April 27, 2021. Furthermore, he admitted to sponsoring, exhibiting, and aiding the same activity with at least one rooster on March 6, 2022.
Cockfighting involves attaching a sharp instrument to a rooster's leg, causing the roosters to engage in combat. The fight continues until one rooster either dies or refuses to fight. This often results in the death of one or both birds.
Lozada faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose accepted the plea and will proceed with sentencing upon reviewing a report from the U.S. Probation Office.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sara M. Bloom for the District of Rhode Island.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Support was also provided by various law enforcement bodies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and local police departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island.
