A federal grand jury has indicted two individuals, Katrina D. Favret of Tennessee and Robert M. Craig of North Carolina, for their alleged roles in a gruesome online network dedicated to the creation and distribution of videos showing the torture and sexual abuse of monkeys. The indictment, unsealed today, sheds light on a disturbing subculture of animal cruelty.
The charges allege that Favret and Craig conspired with a previously charged individual, Ronald P. Bedra of Ohio, to produce what are known as “animal crush videos.” These videos depict extreme acts of violence against animals for the titillation of viewers. Favret faces additional charges for the creation and distribution of these horrific videos.
According to court documents, the conspiracy extended globally, with the defendants allegedly using encrypted messaging apps to commission and fund individuals in Indonesia to carry out and film the acts of torture. The details of the alleged videos are profoundly disturbing and include the sodomizing of a monkey with a heated screwdriver and the mutilation of another monkey's genitals with scissors.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Announcing the charges were Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, and Assistant Director Douglas Ault of the USFWS Office of Law Enforcement.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio.
This indictment underscores a commitment by law enforcement to pursue and prosecute those involved in the horrific world of animal cruelty, regardless of where the acts are committed.
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