A Charlotte man is heading to federal prison for more than two years after admitting he helped fuel a hidden online world of monkey torture videos. Robert Craig was sentenced to 28 months behind bars and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to create and trade videos that showed monkeys being tortured and sexually abused, according to court records. Prosecutors say the disturbing footage and chats circulated in invitation-only groups that relied on encrypted messaging to stay under the radar.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Craig admitted on June 25, 2025, that he conspired to create and distribute so-called “animal crush” videos and was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The agency says Craig used encrypted chat apps to share and discuss obscene videos of monkeys being tortured and sexually abused, and that a signed statement of facts shows he and others sometimes requested specific acts of violence to be carried out. The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the FBI, the department said.
As reported by WCNC, Craig is 34 years old and lives in Charlotte. WCNC summarized the federal release and noted that the sentencing hearing took place in federal court in Charlotte. Local filings referenced in that coverage also show that prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio were involved in bringing the case.
How prosecutors say the network worked
Federal prosecutors say Craig was an active participant in closed, encrypted messaging groups where members shared and even commissioned violent videos, according to the Department of Justice. In those chats, he sometimes asked for particular types of abuse to be recorded, the statement of facts indicates. In related prosecutions described in federal filings, conspirators paid videographers overseas to stage attacks on monkeys, then funneled the clips back into private online communities for circulation. Investigators say that combination of invite-only forums and strong encryption has made it harder to detect the networks and tie specific users to the crimes.
Part of a broader federal crackdown
Craig’s punishment lands in the middle of a wave of similar federal cases this year that target producers and distributors of “animal crush” material. The Miami Herald reported that a Florida man received a five-year sentence in May for distributing graphic monkey torture videos, and Boston.com covered a 30-month sentence handed down in Massachusetts earlier this year. Together with Craig’s case and other federal filings, those outcomes show prosecutors in multiple districts are treating the creation and spread of these videos as serious felony conduct, not fringe online misbehavior.
Legal implications
The crimes at issue fall under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 48. That statute defines “animal crushing” and makes it a federal offense to create or distribute “animal crush” videos in or affecting interstate commerce. Violations can carry up to seven years in prison, although actual sentences depend on factors that include a defendant’s role, prior criminal history and the extent of harm. Terms of supervised release can come with monitoring and tailored restrictions that are meant to keep defendants away from the kinds of secretive online communities that helped these videos spread.
Federal officials say the Craig prosecution is one of several multi-district efforts this year to disrupt invitation-only networks that create and traffic in such material. Prosecutors and investigators argue that the cluster of recent cases highlights both the evolving tactics used to conceal these crimes online and a sustained, coordinated push by multiple agencies to shut the networks down.
