The Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission has been ordered to shut down after the state Ethics Commission found extensive violations of campaign finance laws.
In a settlement executed Wednesday, the Gamefowl Commission Political Action Committee and its treasurer, Blake Pearce, admitted to repeated and serious violations, including accepting contributions above legal limits, taking prohibited corporate donations, and failing to properly disclose donor information. The PAC also acknowledged using anonymous donations “far in excess” of the law and spending funds outside its stated purpose.
The organization, which was created to push for looser state laws on cockfighting, further admitted to concealing money by failing to report contributions and expenditures, using cash withdrawals for political expenses, and failing to keep required financial records.
Under the settlement, the Gamefowl Commission PAC must:
• Pay a $10,000 penalty, with monthly payments from October 2025 through September 2027.
• Dissolve within 30 days, close all funds in accordance with state rules, and file a final report.
• Refrain from forming a new affiliated PAC for at least two years.
Ethics Commission officials said the violations warranted “real and lasting repercussions” with both financial and structural consequences. The Commission had already voted in July to publicly acknowledge its investigation, citing breaches of state Campaign Finance Ethics Rule 2.
The controversy surrounding the Gamefowl Commission is not new. Last year, Animal Wellness Action released undercover videos it said showed Pearce and Commission president Anthony Devore attending illegal cockfighting events in McIntosh County. The group has alleged that the Commission raised more than $100,000 from cockfighting interests and funneled tens of thousands of dollars into Oklahoma political campaigns.
Oklahoma voters outlawed cockfighting in 2002 by approving State Question 687, which made it a felony to participate in fights and a misdemeanor to attend. Federal law also prohibits the transport and exhibition of birds used in cockfighting.
