 |
| ABOUT US | PRACTICE GROUPS | LOCATIONS | CONTACTS |
Third Man Sentenced In Cockfighting CaseLittle Boxwood Owner Receives 16 Months In PrisonBy Luther Johnson November 20,2008 ROANOKE – The owner of the Little Boxwood cockfighting pit in Kite Hollow was sentenced in federal court in Roanoke last Thursday. Luis Martinez, 50, of Manassas, was sentenced by Judge Glen E. Conrad to 16 months in prison, followed by 18 months of supervised release and an already paid special assessment fee of $200. Prior to sentencing, Martinez’s attorney, Douglas McNabb, submitted a memorandum to the court concerning his client’s sentencing. In it McNabb, a Houston based attorney, describes Martinez as “remorseful and a better 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,” the documents states. The document requested that Martinez be sentenced to three months confinement and three months of home detention, no fine based on his forfeitures and $100 special assessment for each count, a total of $200, which had already been paid. Martinez was one of four men indicted following a May 5, 2007 raid on the Little Boxwood cockfighting operation near Stanley. Two of the other men, Charles Kingrea and Dale Moreland, were sentenced on Oct. 14. Kingrea, 61, of Gordonsville, was found guilty in June of operating a business at Little Boxwood that sold knives gaffs and veterinarian supplies while also conspiring with the others to run the venture. The judge believed him to be the least involved with the operation. Kingrea was sentenced to six months in prison, six months of house arrest, 18 months probation and a $750 fine. Moreland, 52, of Winchester, and Martinez signed plea agreements with the federal government on Feb. 19. In the agreements, Martinez and Moreland each plead guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of money laundering. Moreland received a sentence of 18 months in prsion, 18 months probation and a $1,000 fine. The fourth man indicted in the Page County cockfighting operation, Albert C. Taylor, 66, of Luray, is expected to go to trial Wednesday, Dec. 17 in Harrisonburg. | |