A couple in Hawaii was sentenced to prison for their role in a gambling ring that involved cockfighting, dice tables and card games at their home in Waiana, authorities said Tuesday.
Lloyd Robert Marshall, 67, and Nitta Mitsuko Marshall, 65 were sentenced to three years and 18 months respectively after the FBI led a raid on their home during what was advertised as the “Super Bowl of Cockfighting,” according to an FBI source.
An FBI official called Marshall’s cockfighting operation “brazen,” saying Marshall had even made up T-shirts for the “Super Bowl of Cockfighting.” Additionally, Marshall had lobbied for legislature to relax restrictions on cockfighting in the state of Hawaii, though he was unsuccessful.
“Organized crime and illegal gambling on animal fights to the death are not part of the American culture and haven’t been part of the Hawaiian culture since King David Kalakaua outlawed cockfighting in Hawaii in 1884,” said FBI Special Agent Tom Simon.
Authorities say hundreds of people would attend Marshall’s “derbies,” and the roosters were often equipped with custom-made razor blades that allowed them to rip each other to shreds. Those attending the illegal cockfighting contests would also pay parking and entrance fees.
The Marshalls acquired over $239,000 in proceeds from their illegal gambling business over the course of one year, and were also found with $170,578 in cash at the time of the raid, authorities said.
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