BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. -- A 67-year-old Georgia man will spend more than two years in prison for running a cockfighting operation.
The Department of Justice said Wendell Allan Strickland, of Swainsboro, plead guilty to:
- Sponsoring and exhibiting an animal in an animal fighting venture (two felony counts)
- Conducting an illegal gambling business (two felony counts)
- Possessing and transporting an animal in an animal fighting venture (one felony count)
- Attending an animal fighting venture (one misdemeanor charge)
A judge sentenced Strickland to serve 27 months in federal lockup. Strickland was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and a special assessment of $525. He'll also serve three years of supervised release after getting out of prison.
Strickland ran a cockfighting venue on his property in Swainsboro that was called The Red Barn.
In September 2020, numerous law enforcement agencies took out warrants on the site. They seized cockfighting gear and arrested suspects including Strickland.
“Voyeuristic cruelty to animals is not a sport – it is a barbaric anachronism,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to identify, infiltrate and eliminate these pockets of cultural depravity from the Southern District.”
The owners of two other cockfighting operations also plead guilty to similar charges.
Lanier Augusta Hightower Jr., 65, of Lincolnton, has already been sentenced to serve 14 months in prison and pay a $500 fine. Law enforcement raided a cockfighting tournament on Hightower's farm in December 2019 and he later plead guilty to sponsoring and exhibiting an animal in an animal fighting venture.
William Shannon Scott, 48, of Midville, has not had his sentencing hearing yet. Multiple agencies had raided a cockfighting tournament on Scott's property in June 2020 and he plead guilty to sponsoring and exhibiting an animal in an animal fighting venture.
Forfeiture proceedings for Strickland's property where the fights were held is already underway by the US government. Scott and Hightower could also face forfeiture of their properties.