Federal Charges Filed in Kentucky Cockfighting Operation

LOUISVILLE, Sept. 16, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Federal and state authorities have taken significant action against a network involved in cockfighting, according to a press release from three animal welfare organizations. The U.S. Department of Justice, including the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky State Police, and other law enforcement agencies, have charged five men with extensive involvement in cockfighting operations.

Christopher Copas, Don Ray Haley, also known as "Donny Haley," James Holland, Ramon Escamilla, and Eric Escamilla are among those indicted. The federal indictments, filed on September 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, allege that these men were involved in breeding, raising, training, and selling roosters for cockfighting. The charges include violations of the federal animal-fighting prohibition, conspiracy, and smuggling goods from the United States.

The indictment against Christopher Copas, who operated Kentucky Acres Game Farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky, alleges that he possessed roosters and immature male chickens for the purpose of participating in an animal-fighting venture. He is also charged with possessing a Lorcin Model L25 .25-caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number.

Don Ray Haley, who operated a rooster-breeding operation at 165 Phillips Road in Elkton, Kentucky, is charged with the same offenses as Copas. James Holland, who operated Possum Hill Gamefowl in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is also charged with knowingly possessing roosters and immature male chickens for the purpose of participating in an animal-fighting venture.

Ramon and Eric Escamilla, who are charged with conspiracy to violate federal animal-fighting laws, are alleged to have operated a rooster-breeding operation at 697 Hill Road in Bowling Green. The indictment states that they bred, raised, trained, and sold roosters for cockfighting and exhibited fighting roosters in cockfighting derbies. It also alleges that they sold and shipped roosters to customers in Mexico, the Philippines, and elsewhere.

These charges come as part of a larger effort to combat cockfighting, which has been illegal in the United States since 2007. The federal animal-fighting law was expanded in 2008 to include the possession, training, selling, buying, transporting, delivering, or receiving of animals for use in fighting ventures. According to Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, the organizations have long argued that existing federal laws provide the necessary authority to dismantle organized cockfighting networks.

Pacelle emphasized that the organizations have documented extensive cockfighting operations in Kentucky, including online investigations, undercover work, and aerial surveillance using drones.

The organizations praised the federal and state law enforcement agencies for their efforts, noting that the Kentucky State Police has significantly increased its enforcement efforts.

The release concludes by highlighting the ongoing commitment of the organizations to support law enforcement agencies across the nation in exposing organized cockfighting, documenting trafficking networks, and advocating for stronger state and federal animal-protection laws.