According to the Department of Justice, one of two men detained in Maryland last week on suspicion of aiding a covert dog-fighting organisation that involved the killing of losers was a senior Department of Defence official.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense’s deputy chief information officer for command, control, and communications, Frederick Douglass Moorefield, 62, and longtime friend Mario Flythe, 49, were detained on Thursday on suspicion of actively promoting a dog fighting ring for more than 20 years.
Authorities allegedly saved at least 12 canines in September when executing warrants at the owners’ homes. There, they allegedly discovered veterinary steroids, training tools, and jumper wires that were “used to execute dogs that lose dogfights(sic).”
According to police, the two guys discussed dog fighting, exchanged training advice, and planned how to avoid being caught by law enforcement using an encrypted messaging programme. For their respective activities, they also utilised code names; Moorefield used “Geehad Kennels” while Flythe used “Razor Sharp Kennels.”
Although Moorefield is no longer employed by the government, the Defence Department did not specify when his employment was terminated.
“We are aware of the criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. We can confirm that the individual is no longer in the workplace, but we cannot comment further on an individual personnel matter,” Defense Department Spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Gorman told Fox News.
Law enforcement investigators also discovered what appeared to be blood-stained carpet at the home, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“On September 6, 2023, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Moorefield and Flythe’s residences in Maryland. Following the execution of these warrants, twelve dogs were recovered and seized by the federal government,” the statement read. “Law enforcement also recovered veterinary steroids, training schedules, a carpet that appeared to be stained with blood, and a weighted dog vest with a patch reading ‘Geehad Kennels.’ In addition, law enforcement officers seized a device consisting of an electrical plug and jumper cables, which the affidavit alleges is consistent with devices used to execute dogs that lose dogfights.”
Following the defendants’ initial court appearances on September 28, when the criminal complaint was unsealed, U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson granted their release pending trial under the watchful eye of U.S. Pretrial Services.
Alexander Levin and Darryl Tarver are serving as the case’s assistant US attorneys.
