Monkeys Reportedly Burned, Cut, and Raped for Online Videos: Demand Justice

Target: Kelly A. Norris, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio

Goal: Impose the maximum federal prison terms and permanent animal-contact bans on defendants who allegedly commissioned and filmed brutal monkey-torture videos.

A recently unsealed federal indictment details a conspiracy in which 11 defendants from across the United States allegedly paid thousands of dollars to have infant and juvenile monkeys viciously abused on camera. According to prosecutors, paid “custom requests” showed the animals’ genitals burned, sliced with scissors, and violently penetrated with wooden skewers and spoons while the torment was filmed for online distribution. Investigators claim at least 79 overt acts—including payments to a minor abroad—were undertaken to create these so-called “animal crush videos.”

The indictment further alleges that one defendant coordinated the network, funneled money to the overseas abuser, and then shared the footage in private groups dedicated to extreme animal cruelty. Federal agents with the FBI and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describe the acts as “beyond disturbing,” noting that very young monkeys were selected precisely because of their vulnerability.

Animal-crush content is illegal under federal law precisely because the torture is both gratuitous and profit-driven. Sign below to demand that prosecutors pursue every available penalty—lengthy incarceration, heavy restitution, mandatory psychological evaluation, and lifetime prohibitions on owning or accessing animals.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Acting Attorney Norris,

Court documents in United States v. Shellhammer et al. allege that an interstate ring commissioned, filmed, and sold videos in which baby monkeys were reportedly burned on their genitals, slashed with scissors, and sodomized with household objects. The indictment describes 79 separate steps taken to finance these recordings—including payments routed to a minor—and indicates that the resulting footage was shared for entertainment and profit.

Such seemingly calculated cruelty strikes at the very heart of the federal Animal Crush Video Statute and threatens to normalize ever-escalating violence against vulnerable creatures. Anything short of the most severe legal consequences risks emboldening others who view animal torture as a lucrative niche.

We respectfully urge your office to seek the highest prison sentences permissible, substantial fines, restitution for rescue and rehabilitation, mandatory mental-health treatment, and lifetime bans on animal ownership or contact for every convicted participant. By doing so, the Southern District of Ohio can send a clear message that orchestrating and monetizing sadistic abuse of animals will be met with uncompromising justice.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: Andre Mouton