(AP) -- COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The U.S. Attorney's office for South Carolina says seven people including a ringleader have pleaded guilty to charges related to cockfighting.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said in a news release Friday that 82-year-old Gene Audry Jeffcoat pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act and federal gambling laws.
Jeffcoat admitted making rules for the cockfighting events that took place on his property in Swansea.
The rest pleaded guilty to animal fighting charges. They will be sentenced later and face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
There is no mandatory minimum sentence. Four others previously pleaded guilty to similar charges as part of the investigation.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
