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Mario Flythe, 50, of Glen Burnie, pleaded guilty on Tuesday and admitted to training dogs with treadmills, weighted collars, and fed them animal steroids as part of his operation.
As part of his guilty plea, Flythe also admitted that he was affiliated in the same dogfighting ring with Frederick Douglas Moorefield, Jr., breeding the dogs at his home and training them for years.
Moorefield, a Deputy Chief Information Officer for Command, Control, and Communications for Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Flythe used an encrypted messaging application to communicate with others across the country to discuss dogfighting, according to prosecutors.
Moorefield used the name “Geehad Kennels” and Flythe used the name “Razor Sharp Kennels” to identify their respective dogfighting operations.
During their discussions, they spoke about how to best train dogs for fights, shared videos about dogfighting, and coordinated matches.
A review of Flythe's instant messages found he often spoke about arranging fights, investigators said, identifying the weight and sex of the dog he sought to sponsor.
"Other dogfighters then proposed a fight against their own dog or matched Flythe with another of their contacts who had a dog in the same weight class," according to prosecutors.
"The dogfighters would then agree on wagers and set a date for the fight, usually six to eight weeks after the match was made.
"When Flythe sponsored a dog in a fight, the fight ended only when a dog died or when the owner forfeited the match—either through the dog 'quitting' the fight or the owner 'picking up' the dog.'
The operation went on between 2019 and 2023.
According to prosecutors, in September last year, a search of Flythe's home led to the recovery of seven pit bull-type dogs, four of whom were found chained to posts or poles in fenced in cages in his backyard, and three others were housed in large metal cages in the basement.
In each of the cages in the back yard, investigators observed water bowls that contained either only dirt or water that appeared contaminated. Canine feces was found in both the cages in the back yard and basement. The back yard and four of the seven dogs were infested with fleas
Flythe pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to engage in animal fighting, specifically the fighting of dogs, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering.
When he is sentenced, he will face five years in federal prison for conspiring to engage in an animal fighting conspiracy.
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