Alleged New Jersey canine preventing kingpin busted

US News

By Megan Palin

Published
April 14, 2024, 2:17 p.m. ET

A significant federal sting operation led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader of a prolific dog-fighting operation, shedding mild on the “brutal” and unlawful bloodsport which topics animals to horrific accidents, ache and struggling for revenue.

Bruce Low Jr., 45, who regulation enforcement suspects is the “leader” of “one of the top five dog fighting breeders in the US”, was final week arrested after investigators executed search warrants on three New Jersey properties, associated to a dogfighting community believed to be working on a world scale.

He was later charged with second-degree racketeering, second-degree conspiracy, second-degree money laundering, cruelty to animals, dogfighting for playing on the result, falsifying information and 6 different prices. Seven of his alleged co-conspirators had been additionally arrested and charged.

More than 120 dogs — together with one with a lacking leg and lots of with open wounds, heavy scarring and swelling — had been discovered on one of many Cumberland County properties linked to Low, authorities introduced Friday.

Most of them had been affected by untreated accidents, shivering and exhibiting indicators of abuse and neglect, authorities mentioned.

“What other hell these dogs endured, I honestly don’t even dare to imagine,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin mentioned, including the dogs had been “tortured and abused.”

According to court docket paperwork obtained by The Post, investigators additionally positioned two useless dogs in a preventing pit and famous blood on partitions.

“Generally with an operation of that size there’s no doubt in my mind these guys are selling nationally and even internationally,” Humane Society of the US Vice President Adam Parascandola informed The Post.

Dog preventing is against the law in all 50 states, however runs rampant in “cruel and callous” underground playing operations propped up by breeders, trainers and spectators, and rooted in animal cruelty.

It is especially widespread within the southwest and northeast, mentioned Parascandola, who accompanied police to help with the rescue of the surviving dogs on the New Jersey compound.

“There were pregnant (females), nursing dogs, some severely underweight, a lot of dogs with fairly extensive scarring, some had open wounds and swelling,” he mentioned of the rescue operation.

“Some were limping with a number of injuries including fractures and broken bones that hadn’t been treated.”

According to Parascandola, the US can be one of many essential worldwide distributors of “fighting dogs” to nations together with Poland, Bulgaria, South Africa, Mexico and past.

“Many kennels around the world are buying from the US,” he informed The Post.

“Generally, the general public doesn’t have an understanding of the quantity of organization concerned in these canine preventing networks and the organized felony nature of them.

“It’s not only within the country but between international dog fighters who are talking to each other in different ways.”

Cops say Low, often called “Hollywood”, ran the canine preventing operation beneath the business title Royal Bull Kennels and that he and a few of his alleged co-conspirators posted about associated gross sales and traded movies of fights on Facebook and in personal messaging teams.

They used code names resembling “game dogs” and “concerts” — phrases within the business to explain preventing dogs and arranged canine fights in an try and go undetected by authorities, court docket papers declare.

Low and his lawyer, former Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner, didn’t return calls from The Post on Thursday.

On its web site, RBK goes to nice lengths to insist its operations is above board.

“We do not break any laws!” reads a disclaimer.

“All of our dogs are utilized in authorized actions together with however not restricted to conformation, weight pull, obedience, treadmill racing, and different non-illegal actions.

“We do not own any dog that was knowingly used in any illegal activities before or after they were in our possession. We do not condone the use of any dogs in any illegal activities whatsoever.”

But charging paperwork recommend there are a number of holes in that declare. According to police, Low unwittingly gave himself up when he corresponded with a possible buyer who turned out to be an undercover detective feigning curiosity in shopping for a canine.

Low informed the agent he held 61 “concerts” – authorities declare – final yr alone, describing one such occasion intimately.

Authorities additionally charged Low’s mom and business associate Terri A. Low , 67; his son, Bryce J. Low , 20; and his son-in-law, Roosevelt Hart IV, 29, on a spread of offenses together with dogfighting, racketeering and money laundering.

Col. Patrick Callahan, the top of the State Police mentioned a tip-off and subsequent undercover investigation culminated in “the largest seizure and takedown of a dogfighting ring in the history of the state of New Jersey”.

“The pedigree of his fighting dogs is well-known and highly sought after in the dogfighting world,” Dominick Quartuccio, a State Police detective, wrote in a sworn assertion, including that “Low, Jr. generated a significant amount of income from the dogfighting.”

The blood sport might be extremely profitable for homeowners and for spectators who could wager massive quantities of money on a match and clear up from the “main purse”. According to Parascandola, the breeders additionally make plenty of money through “side bets” and the sale of dogs bred to combat.

“The bigger breeders and sellers who are well known and popular are definitely making in the hundreds of thousands of dollars every year,” Parascandola informed The Post.

During the investigation, surveillance noticed Coy Dickerson, a “world-renowned game dog trainer,” tethering dogs to a car and working them on trails on the compound to situation them for fights on a number of events, a police affidavit claims.

“Coy had dogs chained in the yard, living in barrels and dogs in kennels around his trailer on the compound,” Platkin mentioned on the information convention Friday.

“We know that on a number of cases dogs had been strapped to an ATV and compelled to run at speeds as excessive as 14 miles an hour, typically for lengthy durations of time.

“In at least one instance, even exceeding an hour.”

According to Parascandola, dogs born on the compounds dwell their lives chained up from the age of eight weeks old, solely being let loose for conditioning or preventing.

“Even the winning dogs often come away with gaping wounds or broken bones, only to be put back on a heavy chain without treatment even if only for breeding purposes,” he informed The Post.

“Most of these dogs are bred specifically like this, they start their life with the expectation of the owner that they’re going to be used in fights, so from time they’re eight-12 weeks old they’re put on a heavy chain and spend most of their life on that chain.”

It’s an “awful” life each manner round for any canine unfortunate sufficient to finish up in it.

The dogs are sometimes solely let free for breeding, conditioning, or preventing functions, Parascandola defined.

“Even without the injuries from dog fighting, it’s non stop suffering with dogs often given just a barrel for shelter, and mostly ignored,” he mentioned.

The fights are “intensive” and sometimes finish within the dogs sustaining “crippling injuries”. The common fights final 30-90 minutes however some go on for much longer.

“Dogs that do well but survive with horrific injuries are just put back on the chain even if just for breeding purposes,” he added.

Parascandola mentioned he has personally seen movies of individuals concerned within the US business “cheering” as a canine with two damaged entrance legs tries to maneuver and proceed a combat within the pit.

He mentioned the dogs rescued from the New Jersey compound have since been handled and placed in shelters and rescue facilities for adoption.

Despite the horrific therapy they’ve endured from their handlers, many of the animals bred for preventing should not “human aggressive”, and the vast majority of rescues are decided to be match for placements.

“They all greeted us with wagging tails and really just want love and attention,” he mentioned.