* Presgraves pleads guilty to federal racketeering count

By Sally Voth -- svoth@nvdaily.com

(11:45 a.m.) HARRISONBURG -- Former Page County Sheriff Daniel W. Presgraves pleaded guilty Friday morning in U.S. District Court to one count of racketeering stemming from a federal investigation into an illegal cockfighting operation.

Presgraves, who faced 23 counts, was scheduled to go on trial Sept. 16. The original charges included violating federal racketeering laws, money laundering, mail fraud, conspiracy related to the cockfighting operation, making false statements to investigators, obstructing a federal grand jury investigation, obstructing a law enforcement investigation and violating the civil rights of female subordinates at the Page County Sheriff's Office.

As part of his plea, Presgraves admitted to several acts of obstruction and to using inmate labor for personal projects. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Judge Glen E. Conrad ordered that a presentence investigation be conducted before he rules on whether to accept the plea.

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