By Tom Collins
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The News Tribune
Ten men charged in a cockfighting ring broken up Saturday north of Meriden and northeast of Mendota could face deportation as well as prison time.
Rudolfo Villanueva, 51, of 4729 E. Sixth Road, Earlville was charged with animal fighting for entertainment, a Class 4 felony carrying a possible punishment of 1-3 years in prison.
Villanueva is the owner of the property where police from several agencies discovered a cockfighting operation in which participants allegedly agreed to pay $1,000 to enter five gamecocks into the fight.
Nine other men, mostly spectators who paid admission, also were charged with animal fighting for entertainment. They are Jose D. Ulloa, 28, of Joliet; Jose M. Alicea Reyes, 36, of Oswego; Juan Galvan, 34, of Joliet; Jorge Ramirez, 33, of Montgomery; Ramon M. Magana, 37, of Aurora; Luis Lopez Ceja, 41, of Pino Suarez, Guadalajara, Mexico; and Luis P. Lopez, 39, Luis Perez, 35, and Jacobo Perez Lopez, 37, all of Milwaukee, Wis.
All appeared Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court. There, Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. set new court dates for Jan. 8 and admonished each man that he could face deportation, though the immigration status of the men was not immediately clear. All appeared with a Spanish-speaking interpreter.
The cockfighting raid was the culmination of a two-month investigation begun in Cook County and which led agents to the La Salle County farm. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said the cockfighting ring had been in operation for at least five years and generated thousands of dollars in illegal cash, some of which may have been used to fund illegal gun and drug purchases.
All birds were euthanized at the scene.
http://www.newstrib.com/articles/news/local/default.asp?article=506947C7CDAE12E2C792D487C43F878B82A20B5BE348FD88
