USA: Numerous people charged after distribution of online animal cruelty videos

Animal cruelty videos are regularly distributed online via private groups on social media. After the BBC uncovered a monkey torture network two years ago, which allowed sadists to order monkey torture videos online via private messenger groups, there are now numerous defendants and arrests.

An indictment from the federal prosecutor's office for the Southern District of Ohio is directed against an offender also known as “Bitchy” and “Slicey's Tail” and against an offender who calls himself “Rob C” and “Marshal”. The defendants are accused of distributing animal abuse videos (“animal crush videos”) via online chat groups for the period between 2021 and 2022, which show, among other things, the torture, killing, sadistic mutilation and abuse of animals. The main charges therefore include the marketing and distribution of such videos. They contacted people abroad to film the acts of violence against the monkeys and paid them to do so.

At the beginning of May 2025, eleven people were also charged for their involvement in monkey torture groups. Among other things, the group allegedly paid a minor in Indonesia to carry out the acts, according to a further indictment. The individuals from various US states are accused of being part of online groups that specifically commissioned, financed, produced and distributed videos of torture, sexual violence and the killing of monkeys.

Investigations and arrests – but no end in sight

According to media reports, leading members of the networks have been sentenced to several years in prison in the USA, the UK, and Indonesia since 2023. In these cases, perpetrators in Indonesia were often commissioned to torture the animals, and investigations are also underway there. Ronald Bedra from Ohio, who was sentenced to 54 months in prison in 2024, played a key role in organizing, financing and distributing the videos. In Scotland, a woman was also sentenced to more than two years in prison for distributing hundreds of such videos and actively participating in the organization. The BBC reported. In the USA, a central mastermind known as “The Torture King” was sentenced to more than three years in prison.

Despite these successes, the problem remains: The groups quickly regroup after arrests, change platforms and continue their activities. The videos can still be found on Telegram and also on Facebook – often in groups with thousands of members. Investigators speak of an escalation of violence and warn that the perpetrators are producing ever more extreme content to meet demand.

Difficult prosecution and platform failure

Prosecution is difficult because the perpetrators and clients operate across national borders and are sometimes difficult to identify. Many platforms such as Facebook and TikTok also fail in terms of moderation: even after numerous reports, videos with obvious animal cruelty remain online and continue to be disseminated by users. Large tech companies often do not take adequate care of content moderation. According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, cruel animal cruelty videos circulated on Facebook for weeks in groups with more than 50,000 followers – despite multiple reports of such cruelty. They were only finally removed under public pressure from the media.

In the USA, cruelty to animals is prohibited in all states, but the legal situation is federally regulated. Particularly cruel cases such as the production and distribution of the videos are punishable under federal law with up to seven years in prison. Animal cruelty and animal abuse are also usually prosecuted as criminal offenses at the individual state level, with penalties ranging from fines to several years in prison, depending on the severity of the offense and the state in question. In serious or repeated cases, prison sentences are regularly imposed in the USA.

In Germany, cruelty to animals is a criminal offense under Section 17 of the Animal Welfare Act and can be punished with up to three years imprisonment or a fine. Courts can also impose a lifelong ban on keeping animals and confiscate the animals concerned. Lighter or negligent violations are considered administrative offenses and are punishable by fines of up to 25,000 euros. In practice, however, most cases are punished with fines or bans on keeping animals; prison sentences are rare.

(mack)