U.S Attorney Bill Essayli recently announced the creation of a federal animal abuse task force that aims to prosecute people for violating federal laws and regulations related to animals.
The Federal Animal Abuse Task Force will focus efforts throughout seven counties in California, including San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura.
Some federal offenses include cockfighting, dog fighting or any kind of animal fighting. It also includes laws involving transporting animals across state lines.
That means if a person is advertising, organizing, sponsoring or transporting an animal for a fight, then they too can be prosecuted under federal law.
“Our office has recently prosecuted several individuals for cockfighting. And this kind of thing has been going on in the district for some time. And the feeling of our office is to make it a priority and to devote more resources to it,” said Dennis Mitchelle, assistant United States attorney for the U.S. attorney’s office in California’s Central District.
Mitchelle also said the task force will be working in partnership with state and local agencies to make sure no federal animal abuse laws are violated.
