21 face federal cockfighting charges

Twenty-one South Carolina residents, including three from Charleston County, have been indicted on federal charges as a result of a 13-month undercover investigation into cockfighting.

The crackdown was lauded by the Humane Society of the United States, which bemoaned the meager penalties for cockfighting under S.C. law.

There were three separate indictments concerning two cockfighting ventures in Lexington and Williamsburg counties, said W. Walter Wilkins, the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, in a statement released Wednesday.

The Charleston County residents are Roy Wilson Braddock, 51, and Mary Durden Braddock, 55, both of Hollywood; and Charles E. Allbritton, 66, of Mount Pleasant. All three were named in one indictment which accused them of participating in a cockfighting venture in Williamsburg County, according Wilkins' statement. Phone calls to the Braddock residence in Hollywood and the Allbritton residence in Mount Pleasant were not returned.

The indictments allege that the defendants, most of whom are from the Midlands, operated an unlawful animal fighting venture and an illegal gambling business, and that they conspired to violate the Animal Welfare Act by staging or participating in cockfighting contests, according to the statement.

During the joint federal-state investigation, undercover officers attended eight cockfighting derbies held in Lexington and Williamsburg counties, the statement said.

The largest cockfighting derbies were held on a 50-acre farm on Woodford Road in Swansea, according to documents filed in federal court. The same place was investigated for illegal cockfighting in 2004 when former S.C. Agriculture Commissioner Charles Sharpe was indicted for his connection to a cockfighting ring, the federal documents said.

Undercover officers attended three derbies in Swansea. They paid $20 to join the S.C. Game Fowl Breeders Association and an additional $20 entry fee to each derby. Two of the fights attended by undercover officers began around 8 a.m. and agents stayed until mid- afternoon. As many as 70 people attended.

The Swansea property is described as having multiple cockfighting pits, weigh-in areas, seats, a scoreboard, office space and a concession stand.

At one fight in July 2008, an undercover officer saw a 13-year-old boy place two roosters on the ground to determine if one of them had any "fight" left in it.

The rooster in question was then killed by being hit against a tree, according to court documents.

Under federal law, the maximum penalty for conspiracy, operating an unlawful animal fighting venture, and operating an illegal gambling business is five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on each charge, Wilkins' statement said.

Under S.C. law cockfighting is a misdemeanor, with a maximum of one year in prison and $1,000 fine.

John Goodwin, manager of animal-fighting issues for The Humane Society of the United States said the society was pleased to learn that two cockfighting operations were shut down and the alleged participants were facing federal charges.

"Local authorities throughout South Carolina have raided many cockfights during recent years, but the anemic penalties in the state law have proven to be no deterrent," he said in a prepared statement. "The federal animal fighting violations carry felony penalties and should serve as a very strong message to those who engage in these cruel and vicious fights. But the federal government cannot be expected to investigate every cockfighting pit in South Carolina. We call on the state legislature to finally enact felony penalties for cockfighting, just as 39 other states have already done."

The State newspaper contributed to this report.