Third Amarillo cockfighting figure sentenced in federal gambling investigation case

A third individual linked to an Amarillo cockfighting ring has been sentenced as part of a wider gambling investigation.

A custodial jail term was imposed on Salvador Sanchez Chávez, 49, after the case led by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould uncovered more wrongdoing.

Chávez case stems from wider cockfighting gambling investigation

The case stems back to an investigation led by the Dallas Field Office (Amarillo Resident Agency) of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

In February 2025, three individuals, including Chávez, were indicted for their roles in this animal-fighting venture, which violated the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Alongside HSI, the case involved multiple agencies, including the Potter County Sheriff’s Office, Texas State Game Wardens, the Amarillo Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which conducted the investigation, along with support from the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

In a statement on Facebook, the center said: “Ultimately, the decision was made that these roosters had to be humanely euthanized. While that outcome is never easy, we find comfort in knowing that for the time they spent with us, they were shown compassion. They were fed, kept warm, spoken to gently, and allowed to simply exist as roosters—free from fear, pain, and expectation.

“Some days in this work are beautiful. Some days are heartbreaking. And some days remind us exactly why this work matter.”

Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard said, “Savagely pitting defenseless animals against each other for sport, gambling, or personal enjoyment is cruel and sadistic, and the illicit proceeds are often used to fuel other transnational criminal activity.”

Third person sentenced

Chávez was one of the individuals, including Ivan Herrera Lopez, 45, and Jaime Gamez Resendiz, 34, linked to a complaint that the Potter County Sheriff’s Office responded to at a property in Amarillo on February 10, 2024.

Upon arrival at the scene, a live cockfighting contest was ongoing, and as part of the testimony of the attending deputies, there were “multiple dead roosters, over 160 live fighting roosters, metal blades or talons used to affix to the roosters’ feet for fighting, syringes and medications used to boost the roosters’ adrenaline before a fight.”

The evidence showed a marker board for documenting bets and other items indicative of a cockfighting gambling operation being in progress.

“Cockfighting is not a sport. It is flat-out cruel,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “This prosecution and the sentences reflect the seriousness of the defendants’ crimes against animals. Credit to our law enforcement partners for saving these animals before more harm could be done.”

Chávez, along with the other defendants, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk after a lengthy list of evidence that showed corroboration, purchase and transport of animals for this ill-gotten gambling ring.

He will be given an 11-month sentence in federal prison, and the men will be subject to removal to their home nation of Mexico from the United States.

Lopez pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced in October to eight months in federal prison and a $10,000 fine, while Resendiz also pleaded guilty in July and received an eight-month sentence.

Pickard concluded, “We were able to dismantle the criminal organization responsible for operating this illegal gambling operation, hold the criminal illegal aliens who ran it accountable, and rescue the animals from certain death.”

Featured image: Canva

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