Documents show CT’s ties to alleged interstate dogfighting ring
3 state residents, 2 properties linked to ring takedown
Three Connecticut residents and two properties in the state have been connected with what authorities have described as one of the largest dogfighting ring takedowns in New York history.
Getulio Vargas Macedo, 46, of Bridgeport, and Meriden residents Jose Rivera, 42, and Nelson Rivera, 43, were taken into custody last week.
Connecticut State Police said they were each charged as fugitives of justice in Connecticut, stemming from a “lengthy cooperative investigation” with authorities in Suffolk County on Long Island into a large interstate dogfighting ring.
There have now been more than a dozen arrests and about 100 dogs rescued in connection with the dogfighting ring in New York and Connecticut.
Last week, Connecticut State Police seized seven dogs from a Grassy Hill Road home in Orange based on leads from Suffolk
County authorities. Police said investigators believe both groups of dogs were used for fighting.
Police said they found evidence of dogfighting, including seven dogs illegally tethered within their cages in outdoor kennel structures that were unsanitary. The dogs were seized and placed in the care and
custody of the state Department of Agriculture and were brought to the Milford Animal Control.
The arrests are also associated with the July search of a Britannia Street property in Meriden where authorities said they found eight dogs in a “makeshift kennel.” Police said they also seized numerous items associated with dogfighting, including shock collars, weighted harnesses and collars, whips, and a homemade dogfighting ring.
A spokesperson for the Suffolk County Police Department directed questions to the District Attorney’s office, which could not be reached for comment.
In a statement, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini described the investigation as “one of the largest takedowns of a dogfighting ring in New York state history.”
In the statement, Suffolk County Acting Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron called it “the largest and most brutal dogfighting rings this county has ever seen.”
“As an animal lover, I have to say, this is one of the most disturbing cases I’ve seen in my 36 years with our department,” Cameron said.
The three Connecticut residents are facing conspiracy charges and offenses related to illegal dogfighting in New York, according to filings in state Superior Court in Meriden. Authorities said they expect to file more charges in connection with the Connecticut dogfighting.