Besides his legal trouble, the alleged leader of a cockfighting ring in La Salle County also faces financial trouble.

Rodolfo Villanueva, 51, 4729 E. Sixth Road, rural Earlville, was arrested Dec. 19 and charged with two counts related to cockfighting after police raided a metal-sided barn at that address. Original reports indicated Villanueva also was charged with gun violations, but no such charges had been filed as of last week. Police did seize six guns, including a semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle, a semi-automatic AK-47 rifle, a scoped, bolt action rifle and another semi-automatic rifle.

Nine other men also were charged with one count each of cockfighting. Villanueva is out of custody on $2,500. The other defendants are free on $1,500 each. The Cook County Sheriff's Office spearheaded the investigation with assistance from other agencies, including the La Salle County Sheriff's Office. Police said the participants in the cockfighting paid $1,000 each to enter gamecocks into competition at the barn. Spectators paid $50 each to attend and bet.

Police said they believed Villanueva owned the property where the barn stood, but real estate records show he no longer does. In June, 2006, Villanueva and Santiago Villanueva, both listed with an address at that time of 2249 Countryside, Montgomery, bought the property for $202,500, taking an approximate $182,000 mortgage. However, in January, 2007 — around the same time the mortgage was paid — Rodolfo quit claimed his ownership of the rural Earlville property to Santiago, with Santiago a few days later taking out a new mortgage for $225,000. The county assessor's office lists the property value at $120,000.

The holder of the mortgage, Countrywide Home Loans, took foreclosure action against Santiago in August, 2009, in La Salle County Circuit Court, saying at that time Santiago had not made payments since the previous Feb. 1. The monthly payment was $1,515. In a photo taken by a real estate broker Sept. 23, 2009, and attached to court papers in connection with the foreclosure, the yard and house is shown, with chickens in the yard. On Oct. 29, Chief Judge James Lanuti ordered the property foreclosed and to be sold. A hearing in regard to the status of the property is set for April 8.

La Salle County Sheriff Tom Templeton has said the county might take action to seize the property since it allegedly was used for criminal purposes.

In July 2009, a Rodolfo Villanueva of the same Montgomery address as the Rodolfo Villanueva who is charged with cockfighting, filed bankruptcy, saying he owed $230,250 — including $11,000 to the Internal Revenue Service — against assets of $125,200. The only property he listed as owning was his home in Montgomery. His only income was $2,313 in monthly unemployment compensation.

As a sign of Rodolfo's financial condition, last week Circuit Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. appointed the public defender to represent him in the criminal case. In court papers, Rodolfo described himself as jobless, married and having two children.