Clintwood Man Pleads Guilty to Cockfighting Conspiracy

Clintwood, Virginia, is reeling after 78-year-old Jimmy Crate Willis admitted his role in a brutal underground cockfighting ring that turned Kentucky’s Big Blue Sportsmen’s Club into a blood-soaked arena for animal torture. Willis pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture, becoming the seventh defendant convicted in a sprawling federal crackdown on organized animal combat.

The Big Blue Sportsmen’s Club in McDowell, Kentucky, operated as a hub for illegal cockfighting, where roosters were bred, trained, and armed with razor-sharp spurs to battle to the death for gambling and entertainment. Willis, authorities say, didn’t just attend — he actively sponsored birds in these fights, fueling a network of cruelty that spanned state lines and drew participants from across Appalachia.

“The practice of cockfighting is not only illegal under federal law but it is a violent, heinous and brutal act of cruelty for these animals,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said. “We are proud those involved in this investigation have held responsible those who raised and fought these animals and shut down this venue for such brutal and barbaric acts.”

Five defendants already sentenced in the case received prison terms between 6 and 18 months. Russell Peaks, of Pound, Virginia, pleaded guilty earlier this month and is set for sentencing on January 30, 2017. Two additional defendants remain defiant, scheduled to face trial in Big Stone Gap in April 2017, where they’ll answer for their alleged roles in the criminal enterprise.

The investigation was a multi-agency siege on organized animal fighting. Led by the USDA’s Office of Inspector General, the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Bureau of Law Enforcement, and the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, it pulled in support from the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force, Virginia State Police Tactical Team, Southwest Virginia Regional Task Force, and Kentucky State Police. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also played a critical role in evidence gathering and animal rescue.

Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney/Virginia Assistant Attorney General Michelle Welch are prosecuting the case. With the takedown of Big Blue, federal and state authorities are sending a clear message: underground rings built on animal suffering will be dismantled — and those who bankroll the bloodshed will do hard time.