Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr. was sentenced Dec. 13, 2024, to 18 months in federal prison for setting up dogfighting and killing dogs as part of a multistate ring. (Defense Department)
A former Pentagon official has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for taking part in a multistate dogfighting ring and for fatally electrocuting the dogs that lost.
Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr., 64, of Arnold, Md., also received six months of home detention Thursday in Maryland District Court. Moorefield pleaded guilty Sept. 13 to a single count of conspiracy to engage in an animal fighting venture, as well as interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise.
Moorefield, a deputy chief information officer for command, control and communications in the Secretary of Defense’s office at the time of the indictment in October 2023, admitted to operating a dogfighting stable named Geehad Kennels and electrocuting dogs that lost fights using a homemade device, a Justice Department statement said Friday.
Five dogs were found at the Maryland home of Frederick D. Moorefield Jr. when it was searched by authorities on Sept. 6, 2023. The former Pentagon official was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Dec. 12, 2024. (Maryland District Court)
Former Pentagon official Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr. admitted to using jumper cables to kill dogs that lost fights during his participation in a multistate dogfighting ring. (Maryland District Court)
Moorefield first landed on law enforcement’s radar in November 2018 after animal control officers in Maryland found two dead dogs in a plastic dog food bag along with mail addressed to him, the statement said. The dogs had injuries consistent with dogfighting.
Investigators later determined that Moorefield was affiliated with a ring called the DMV Board, which spanned Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., the statement said. He used his Arnold home to breed and train dogs for over 20 years.
After scheduling and making wagers on fights, Moorefield trained dogs using treadmills and weighted collars, and administered steroids, the statement said. He would kill losing dogs with jumper cables connected to an ordinary plug.
In addition to his confinement, District Judge Richard Bennett ordered a $20,000 fine, a forfeiture judgment of $21,576 and three years of supervised release, the statement said.
