Monstrous Monkey Mutilation as Tennessee and North Carolina Residents Are Charged in Chilling Animal Abuse Ring

Unsealing a grand jury indictment today, two individuals are now facing charges over their alleged connection to online circles where videos of monkey torture and abuse were created and shared. Tennessee resident Katrina D. Favret and North Carolina's Robert M. Craig are accused of conspiring with Ronald P. Bedra of Ohio, who had been previously charged, to produce and spread so-called "animal crush videos." Favret has been charged with the making and distribution of these disturbing videos.

Operating behind the veil of encrypted chat applications, the defendants are believed to have funded individuals in Indonesia who executed vile acts of violence on camera at their behest. According to the indictment, the content of these videos is nothing short of horrific, featuring juvenile and adult monkeys subjected to unspeakable acts, including sodomization with a heated screwdriver and genital mutilation using scissors. This information was revealed in a press release by the Department of Justice.

The announcement was made jointly by several key figures in law enforcement: Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement.

The FBI and USFWS led the investigation into these heinous acts, tirelessly working to bring the perpetrators to justice. Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are noted as the prosecutors for this case.