Man sentenced to prison for Amarillo cockfighting ring dismantled by Feds

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - A federal judge sentenced an Amarillo man for his involvement in a cockfighting ring.

According to a release from United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould, the man is the third defendant to be given prison time.

Salvador Sanchez Chavez, 49, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to violating the federal offense of Attending an Animal Fighting Venture.

Chavez will spend 11 months in a federal prison.

Chavez and two others, Ivan Herrera Lopez, 45, and Jaime Gamez Resendiz, 34 were indicted in February 2025 for charges stemming from a cockfight in Amarillo back in February 2024.

Court documents show that deputies from Potter County Sheriff’s Office responded to complaints of cockfighting at a property...

The deputies saw cockfighting, dead roosters, over 160 live roosters, metal blades or talons used for fighting matches, syringes and medications used for adrenaline boosts before fights, and a marker board where bets were documented.

All these factors were indicative of a cockfighting operation.

The court documents state that Lopez owned the property where the February 2024 cockfighting match was held.

The documents also say Lopez “bred, house, fed, or sold roosters for the purpose of fighting.”

Chavez is said to have brought two roosters to Lopez’s property for fighting. He also traveled to New Mexico for other cockfighting events, the release says.

Resendiz owned a vehicle designed to transport roosters and had transported some to the event at Lopez’s property.

Most notably, the release details messages on Lopez’s phone that show a conversation with Resendiz about cockfighting. The messages go as far back as 2022.

According to the release, the roosters at the event were all collected by Texas Game Wardens and members of the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Amarillo and taken for further care and evaluation.

“Working alongside our state and local law enforcement partners and the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, we were able to dismantle the criminal organization responsible for operating this illegal gambling operation...” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard.

All three defendants are in the United States illegally.

Their conviction means all three will be removed from the United States.