Isidro Chaparro Sanchez, 59, of Corona, entered a plea to one count of conspiracy to sponsor and exhibit roosters in an animal fighting venture, a felony carrying a possible sentence of up to five years imprisonment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner set sentencing for July 17.

According to federal prosecutors, Sanchez conspired with four others to produce daylong cockfighting events on Sundays at a home on Duffy Street in San Bernardino for about four months last year. The location included a cockfighting ring with seating and bars serving tacos and alcoholic drinks.

Prosecutors say attendees parked — at the cost of $20 — at a different location nearly 1 mile away from the event location. They were then shuttled to the cockfighting location, where they paid $40 to enter the arena where the fights took place. Attendees could also place bets on the cockfights and participate in a raffle.

A team registering four roosters would pay an entry fee of $1,000. One of the co-defendants would collect the money, register the team’s roosters for battle, and record the weights of the roosters, papers filed in Los Angeles federal court show.

Attendees, including those who had registered their roosters, would place bets with bookmakers who collected the cash, Sanchez’s plea agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court says.

The blood sport on Duffy Street ended on Aug. 4, 2024, shortly after the arrival of almost 60 patrons, some carrying roosters. Before the first bout, special agents with the FBI armed with a search warrant raided the place.

Items seized included roughly $9,000 in cash, 50 to 100 sharp instruments or “gaffs” — curved metal spurs or blades that are attached to a rooster’s leg prior to a fight — and various types of steroids. In addition, about 200 birds, of which more than 150 were deemed to be fighting roosters by a local animal control agency, were recovered, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The four co-defendants face trial in June.

Cockfighting is a contest in which a person attaches a knife, gaff or other sharp instrument to the leg of a “gamecock” or rooster and then places the bird a few inches away from a similarly armed rooster. This results in a violent fight during which the roosters flap their wings and jump while stabbing each other with the weapons that are fastened to their legs. A cockfight ends when one rooster is dead or refuses to continue to fight. Usually, one or both roosters die after a fight, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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CBSLA | Contributed

An animal boarding facility in Aguanga that catered to military families had its door shut after the owner was investigated for multiple animal cruelty cases.

The owner of Military Mutts Ranch, Charlotte Orrin, appealed the ruling to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and was denied.

San Diego Navy wife Grace Turner said she was thrilled last month when she found Military Mutts Ranch because she needed to board her three dogs and it was a surprisingly affordable option.

“I was so excited, and I thought I was blessed to have found that because, yeah, we don’t get paid enough money,” Turner said.

However, when Turner went to go pick up her dogs, she was told that one of them had been stolen.

“I actually found the listing that she posted that Saturday night of those puppies on Craigslist that she said were stolen,” Turner told CBSLA.

Heartbroken, Turner said she started researching the property and found deplorable conditions. In fact, the business had been on Riverside Animal Control’s radar for several years. The business had multiple complaints, issues like failure to produce rabies documentation and two open animal cruelty cases, including one where a dog became maggot infested after the owner neglected it and another where a horse died from starvation.

That’s why Orrin’s kennel permit was up for review, Riverside Animal Services had denied her. Orrin appealed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

“I do not abuse and neglect animals. I do this because I care about our soldiers,” Orrin said at the hearing.

The board of supervisors voted unanimously to deny her appeal.

“The effects are so overwhelming, Mrs. Orrin, that I cannot…I cannot support you in this,” one supervisor said.

Asked what her thoughts were about the decision and comments made that she was something of a monster to these animals, Orrin said the supervisors were lied to.

“They could say all they want. There’s always another side. Those people have never really been to my kennel and all that stuff they were told were lies,” she said.

As for Turner, she said her dog was eventually found near the business days later, before getting sold for a profit, she believes. Turner added that she thinks the board of supervisors made the right decision.

The animals currently at the kennel are being cared for by a nonprofit rescue organization in partnership with Riverside Animal Services until members of the military who are deployed return and can claim them.

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