COLUMBIA (AP) -- The U.S. Attorney's office for South Carolina says four people have pleaded guilty to charges related to cockfighting.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said in a news release Tuesday that the four pleaded guilty to violations of the Animal Welfare Act by attending fights in Lexington and Williamsburg counties in 2008 and 2009.
The four men will be sentenced at a later date and each faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. There is no mandatory minimum sentence for the charges.
The four were among 23 people indicted in November on animal fighting charges after a 13-month undercover investigation by state and federal officials. The remaining 19 are scheduled to go to trial later this month.
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