Corona Man Pleads Guilty to Hosting Illegal Cockfights in San Bernardino

A Riverside County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to organizing a series of illegal cockfighting events where roosters were forced to fight to the death as spectators placed bets on the violent outcomes.

According to City News Service, 59-year-old Isidro Chaparro Sanchez of Corona entered a guilty plea on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles to one count of conspiracy to sponsor and exhibit roosters in an animal fighting venture. The felony charge carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.

U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner scheduled sentencing for July 17.

Prosecutors say Sanchez and four co-defendants organized weekly cockfights over a four-month span in 2024 at a home on Duffy Street in San Bernardino. The events featured a full arena with seating, taco stands, and bars serving alcohol. Attendees parked nearly a mile away for a $20 fee and were shuttled to the fight site, where they paid $40 for admission. Teams registering roosters for battle paid $1,000 to participate, according to court documents.

Bookmakers took bets from attendees, including those entering roosters into the fights. Before the first match on August 4, 2024, FBI agents raided the location and recovered about $9,000 in cash, up to 100 sharp metal spurs known as "gaffs," various steroids, and roughly 200 birds. Animal control officials determined that more than 150 of the birds were trained for fighting.

The four co-defendants are scheduled to go on trial in June.

Cockfighting remains illegal in all 50 states and is defined by the U.S. Department of Justice as a blood sport in which roosters are equipped with sharp weapons on their legs and forced to fight, often to the death.

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