Onill Vazquez Lozada of Providence, Rhode Island, has entered a guilty plea to two charges relating to the possession, sponsorship, and exhibition of birds for cockfighting, contravening the Animal Welfare Act.
During the plea proceedings, Lozada acknowledged possessing roosters intended for fighting on April 27, 2021. He also confessed to sponsoring and exhibiting a rooster in a fight on March 6, 2022, alongside aiding and abetting in the event.
Cockfighting involves arming roosters with sharp instruments, leading to fatal or injurious outcomes for the birds. This practice results in intense combats often ending in the death of one or both roosters.
Lozada could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of his guilty plea. The guilty plea was accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose, who will pronounce the sentence following a review of a sentencing 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 was carried out by multiple agencies, including the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Support was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as various state and local law enforcement bodies.
Prosecution of the case is being managed by Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section, in conjunction with Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island.