Former Defense Department deputy chief sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for role in dogfighting ring

A former top Department of Defense communications official was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his role in a D.C.-area dogfighting ring.

Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr., 64, was first linked to the dogfighting ring dubbed "[D.C. Maryland and Virginia] Board" in 2018, when officers from the Anne Arundel County, Maryland, animal control responded to a report of two dead dogs in plastic bags at his home. The officers found the dogs with markings consistent with dogfighting.

The two dogs were just the tip of the iceberg, according to investigators.

Moorefield, who served as the deputy chief information officer for command, control and operations for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, operated under the kennel name "Geehad Kennels" and used his home to keep and train dogs to fight in the DMV Board's violent matches.

The Justice Department says numerous other members of the DMV Board have been sentenced to prison for their roles in the dogfighting ring.

Moorefield pleaded guilty in September to federal charges of conspiracy to engage in animal fighting and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. He was still serving in his role at the Defense Department when he was charged.

Investigators found messages on Moorefield's phone and other devices that show the former military official placing wagers on dogs with other members of the board, the means to carry out the dogfighting ring and attempting to figure out who the "snitch" was in the ring, because other members of the "DMV Board" had been prosecuted.

He also communicated about his dogs fighting others dogs.

Between January 2019 and October 2023, Moorefield sent and received CashApp transactions with misleading names, according to the Justice Department. In 2022, Moorefield received a $1,000 transaction labeled as a "housewarming gift" from a known dogfighter.

When federal agents searched Moorefield's residence in September of 2023, they found five pit-bull type dogs in large metal cages in a windowless room in his basement, according to DOJ.

Agents also found several containers of animal medication, dog food, and protein powder in the same room, in addition to a jumper-cable device Moorefield used to kill a dog.

Law enforcement also seized a large folded-up, blood-stained piece of carpet from a shed which the Justice Department says was used the as the floor of an arena to stage tests on the dog's ability to fight.