A Department of Defense communications official has been charged with running a dogfighting ring that operated for many years and in which thousands of dollars were bet on violent matches, federal prosecutors in Maryland said this week.

The official, Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr., 62, of Arnold, Md., was a deputy chief information officer for command, control and communications, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and Mr. Moorefield’s LinkedIn page, which said he had been with the department for 11 years.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, Mr. Moorefield and another defendant, Mario Damon Flythe, 49, of Anne Arundel County, Md., communicated using encrypted messaging applications to discuss how to train dogs for illegal dogfighting, to coordinate dogfights, to discuss betting on dogfighting and to discuss dogs that had died as a result of dogfighting.

Mr. Moorefield and Mr. Flythe, a barber, used the names “Geehad Kennels” and “Razor Sharp Kennels” to identify their dogfighting operations, according to the affidavit, which was prepared by Special Agent Ryan C. Daly of the F.B.I. They also discussed with others across the United States how to conceal their conduct from law enforcement.

Mr. Moorefield had been involved in dogfighting for about two decades, according to the affidavit. An informant cited in the document said that he had entered a dog into a fight against one of Mr. Moorefield’s dogs “in or around 2009.” According to records of communications cited in the document, Mr. Moorefield was “canvassing his dogfighting associates” to find contenders to set up other fights.

Special Agent Daly cited a listing of fighting dogs under the “Geehad” name that dated back to 2002 and showed dogs that belonged to Mr. Moorefield and others in dogfighting circles.

The two men are accused of buying, selling, delivering, possessing, training or transporting animals for participation in an animal fighting venture; using the postal service or other interstate instrumentality for promoting or furthering an animal fighting venture; and engaging in a conspiracy to sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting venture.

If convicted, Mr. Moorefield and Mr. Flythe would each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for possessing, training or transporting animals for participation in an animal fighting venture.

Mr. Moorefield and Mr. Flythe appeared in federal court in Baltimore on Thursday and were released pending trial. Neither could be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Law enforcement officers carried out search warrants at the Maryland homes of the two men on Sept. 6 and recovered 12 dogs. Officers also seized veterinary steroids; training schedules; a carpet stained with blood; a dog vest with a patch that read, “Geehad Kennels”; and an electrical plug with jumper cables, a type of device that has been used to execute dogs that lose dogfights.

According to court documents, Anne Arundel County Animal Control responded in November 2018 to a report of two dead dogs found with wounds and scarring patterns consistent with dogfighting in a plastic bag about six miles from Mr. Moorefield’s house. The bag also contained mail addressed to Mr. Moorefield.

The Pentagon said in a statement that it was aware of the criminal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. “We can confirm that the individual is no longer in the workplace, but we cannot comment further on an individual personnel matter,” Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman said.

The charges stemmed from evidence gathered from the August 2022 indictments of seven other defendants who were part of chat groups on secure messaging apps that went under the names of “the DMV Board” or “the Board” and were used to set up dog fights, the affidavit said. Six of the defendants have pleaded guilty to charges related to dogfighting.

Dogfighting is a sport where dogs are bred for aggressiveness and forced to fight one another for the entertainment and profit of spectators, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or A.S.P.C.A., which estimates that hundreds of thousands of dogs are forced to train, fight and suffer every year.

In 2019, the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act was signed into law making intentional acts of animal cruelty federal crimes that carry penalties of up to seven years in prison. Federal law had already banned sponsoring animal fights, but the 2019 law was passed to help prosecutors address cases of abused animals that cross state lines, according to animal rights groups.

Stacy Wolf, a senior vice president at the A.S.P.C.A., said that this case demonstrated that dogfighting is much more common than many people realize. She said that strengthened dogfighting laws were encouraging, but that more progress needed to be made.

“Law enforcement is far less likely to investigate and intervene in animal fighting operations when they are unsure if animal protection agencies can bear the cost and burden of caring for seized animals, which means fewer animals saved,” Ms. Wolf said.

Dogfighting is a public safety risk, she added, associated with criminal activity including illegal gambling and possession of drugs and firearms.

Alain Delaquérière contributed research and Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.