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A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a 2022 cockfighting operation.
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. Dubose sentenced 38-year-old Luis Castillo to two years of probation.
Castillo pleaded guilty on Jan. 21 to violating the Animal Welfare Act. In his plea agreement, Castillo admitted he brought roosters from Massachusetts to Rhode Island to participate in cockfighting for sport, wagering, and entertainment.
The sentencing was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda for the District of Rhode Island.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation, and the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Rhode Island State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, and the Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro Police Departments.
Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island.
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Massachusetts Man Gets Probation In Rhode Island Cockfighting Case
