Five Sterling Men Charged With Running Cockfighting Ring

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Images: Juan Romo, Hector Romo, Israel Gomez and Antonio Bermejo (Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office)

Authorities from Loudoun County and Leesburg broke up a local cockfighting ring and arrested four Sterling men last week on felony animal fighting charges, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Those arrested on Wednesday include Juan Romo, Hector Romo, Israel Gomez and Antonio Bermejo, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities are still looking for a fifth suspect, Jamie Bermejo Gibrann. All five men face up to five years in jail or the possibility of a fine of $2,500.

The investigation of the cockfighting ring began on March 17, when Loudoun County Animal Services officers were called to a property in Sterling on a complaint that a horse was being cruelly treated, the sheriff’s office said.

The complaint was unsubstantiated, but one officer saw “a large number of roosters on the property that were being maintained in a manner consistent with animals used in cockfighting,” the sheriff’s office said.

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Officers with Animal Services teamed up with sheriff’s deputies and investigators, and the Leesburg Police Department, to execute search warrants at four different properties in Sterling and Leesburg. They seized evidence of cockfighting, including devices and substances used to enhance a male chicken’s ability to fight or inflict injury on another male chicken, or rooster.

Cockfighting is an illegal activity in which roosters are specifically bred for aggressiveness in battle, the sheriff’s office said. The animals are pitted against one another in a fight to the death.

Roosters used in cockfighting are trained and conditioned to inflict maximum injury against their opponent. Performance-enhancing drugs are administered to the birds to bolster their aggressiveness.

“Officers with the Loudoun County Department of Animal Services are trained to recognize and respond to incidents of animal fighting. The animals involved in these cases pay the ultimate price for the participant’s cruelty and negligence,” Loudoun county Animal Services Chief Mark Stacks said in a statement.

“Our officers are trained to combat this senseless violence and exploitation, not only on behalf of the animals involved but for the general well-being of the community as a whole,” he said. “This type of violent criminal activity will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Anyone who has information regarding suspected animal cruelty or animal fighting is urged to contact the Loudoun County Department of Animal Services at 703-777-0406. As in this case, an unrelated animal cruelty complaint could lead to the discovery of alleged criminal activity beyond the initial complaint.

Rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in dogfighting or cockfighting are made available through organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Anyone who has information about illegal animal fighting may call the HSUS animal fighting tip line at 877-TIP-HSUS and their information will be kept confidential.

The Loudoun County Department of Animal Services is at 39820 Charles Town Pike in Waterford. For more information on how to help animals in Loudoun County, visit www.loudoun.gov/animals.