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Cockfight Ring Owner SentencedMan Tried To Sell Pit To Undercover AgentBy Pete DeLea November 14,2008 HARRISONBURG - On Thursday, a federal judge sent a Manassas man who attempted to sell a Page County cockfighting ring to an undercover agent to prison. Judge Glen E. Conrad sentenced Louis Martinez, 50, to 16 months in federal prison during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, according to Brian McGinn, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. The Case On Sept. 18, 2007, Martinez was one of four Virginia men indicted in connection with the cockfighting ring known as Little Boxwood near Stanley. Two of the men - Martinez and Dale Edward Moreland, 52, of Winchester - avoided trial by striking plea deals with the federal government. Federal authorities say the investigation started after Martinez, the cockfighting ring's owner, met with an undercover agent and attempted to sell him the operation. Agents say Moreland collected bets, matched chickens for fights and handed out winnings. He was handed an 18-month prison term but has not started serving his sentence while he continues to cooperate with the government. On June 13, a federal jury convicted Charles Leo Kingrea, 61, of Gordonsville, on multiple counts related to the case. Prosecutors say he operated a stand that sold supplies for cockfights at the cockpit, and conspired with others to run the venture. The defense claimed Kingrea's actions were independent and not tied to the cockpit's overall operation. Kingrea received a six-month prison sentence plus an additional six months of house arrest. The fourth man charged in the case, Albert Taylor, 66, of Luray, is accused of paying a bribe to an unnamed public official to protect the cockfighting operation. Taylor is scheduled for trial on Dec. 17. The official has since been identified as Page County Sheriff Daniel Presgraves. Presgraves, who was indicted by a federal grand jury Oct. 22, is facing 22 counts, including charges related to the cockfighting pit. Martinez Asked For Leniency In a document filed before Thursday's sentencing, Martinez's defense attorney, Douglas McNabb, asked for a light sentence. McNabb called Martinez a "repentant" man. "He knows what he did caused him to throw away everything he had worked so hard to achieve, as well as jeopardizing the well-being of his cherished loved ones," McNabb stated. "Mr. Martinez knows the mistakes that he has made and wishes to live a law-abiding life with his loving wife and children." McNabb also revealed letters Martinez wrote about the concerns he had for his family, which includes his wife and four children. Three of the four children are minors. "I know that I have hurt my family more than myself," he wrote. "I have failed my wife, children and granddaughter. I think to myself, ‘What is my wife going to do, how will she manage to keep a roof over my children's head and provide food for them?'" Martinez, originally from Mexico, became a permanent resident in 1987. Court documents state he likely will be deported after his release from prison. | |