Five people have been indicted federally in connection with a massive cockfighting operation in Blount County.

Attendees paid $40 to watch the fight, according to court records, and competitors who entered roosters in the derbies paid an entry fee between $700 and $1,000.

The two-count indictment charges the men and woman with conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act and operate an illegal gambling business, Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced Monday.

Those charged are: James Shawn Murphree, 48, of Blountsville; Denny Gonzalez-Guzman, 30, of Albertville; Kasten Finis Murphree, 22, of Blountsville; Kelby Shawn Murphree, 27, of Blountsville; and Kimberly Ann Evans, 48, of Hayden.

Cockfights are supervised by a referee, and the fight ends when one rooster is dead or refuses to continue fighting.

Roosters have a natural bony spur on the back of their leg. The spur is used by the rooster to cause injury to other animals when it kicks with its leg.

Typical cockfights employ weapons that are attached to the backs of the roosters’ legs. Cockfighters trim the bird’s natural spur to the desired length to fit a boot equipped with a “gaff” or “knife” to enhance the bird’s ability to inflict damage.

The gaff is an icepick-like instrument strapped to both legs and causes puncture damage.

Owners and operators of cockfighting arenas, called “pits,” hold organized fights where people can fight their trained roosters against other roosters in cockfighting tournaments called “derbies.”

In a derby, large numbers of cockfighters pit their roosters against one another for entertainment.

Spectators gamble on the outcomes of the cockfights, and the owners of the roosters stand to gain financially through their own wager, an arrangement where the derby winners receive a pre-determined portion of the derby entry fees, or through the enhanced value of their winning roosters.

The indictment alleges that between March 2025 and June 2025, the suspects conspired to organize multiple cockfighting derbies in Blountsville.

Some of the cockfight derbies organized by the group had more than 70 team entries, authorities said.

The winner of the derby would receive a share of the prize pool money.

The indictment said James Shawn Murphree had 12 cockhouses at the Blountsville Pit that he allowed derby competitors to use.

Gonzalez-Guzman, according to court records, was the promoter and organizer of the cockfights, creating the fight schedule for each derby. He received 10 percent of the proceeds.

Investigators say Kasten Finis Murphree and Kelby Murphee built the Blountsville Pit sometime in 2024.

Kimberly Evans, according to the indictment, collected the gate fees.

Numerous derbies were held at the Blountsville Pit from March until June when authorities raided the operation.

The long-term investigation was carried out by the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

The GoA Task Force is made up of authorities from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and ATF.

The U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection and ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations also assisted.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. Hundscheid and Jonathan S. Cross are prosecuting the case.