The federal government wants civil forfeiture of 14 dogs from owners who allegedly used them for dogfighting in Maine.
The 14 pit bull-type dogs were found at a Monroe property during a June 2023 search by the Office of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA started investigating an interstate dogfighting ring in 2021, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
It is the first step for the federal government to be awarded ownership of the dogs by civil forfeiture. The U.S. Marshals Service has custody of the dogs, who are now being cared for by a contractor, according to court records.
When agents raided the Monroe property, they found dogs with numerous diseases, injuries and scars, according to the lawsuit. The inside of the home was “filthy,” with the floor covered in feces. Four dogs were found dead, suspected canine bones were found in a compost pile and decomposing animals were in plastic bags, the lawsuit said.
The surviving dogs had severe injuries, from missing the majority of a nose to fractured incisors to swollen ankles and wrists.
Various items that imply training for dogfighting were also at the property, including a treadmill, nutritional supplements, antibiotics and a car axle buried in the ground with a chain attached, which is typically used to tie a dog to a specific spot, according to the lawsuit.
Two men, David Frazer of Monroe and John Murphy of Hanson, Massachusetts, were allegedly in charge of the dogs. Messages between the men show planning for training the dogs, selling them and fighting them, according to the lawsuit.
There are no public federal criminal charges against Frazer or Murphy, according to court records.
After the property was searched, Frazer signed a document surrendering any legal attachment he had to the dogs, according to the lawsuit.
Text messages between Frazer and Murphy from 2019 to 2023 had discussions of suspected dogfight results, dog pedigrees and photos of dogs living in ways that are typical for animals used for dogfighting, according to the lawsuit.
In one message, Murphy texted Frazer and said, “I’m gonna make 1 of those sheezy dogs a champion for you. Watch,” according to the lawsuit. Other text messages included discussions of how to hide dogs after animal control visited.
Murphy had also posted on two different Facebook accounts. Those posts included pictures of dogs that looked ready for fights, as well as links to pedigree information for various dogs. One of his accounts also was part of a Facebook group dogfighters use to share fight results, buy and sell dogs, and talk about dogfighting training, according to the lawsuit.
The investigation started after the district attorney’s office in Suffolk County, New York, looked into dogfighting venues in the county. It got wiretaps for various communications and started working with the USDA based on what it uncovered, according to the lawsuit.
Multiple people in Maine, Massachusetts and Florida were “believed to be participating in an interstate network of dogfighters,” the lawsuit said.
No future court dates are scheduled for the case.
