FBI NEWS:
More and More People Are Being Convicted for Monkey Abuse
There is finally important news in the fight against the horrific abuse of monkeys for online content.
Federal authorities in the United States, including the FBI, are conducting a large-scale criminal investigation into an international network responsible for abusing, torturing and sexually exploiting monkeys for videos distributed online.
Over the past few years, dozens of American citizens have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted after using encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram to commission and pay for these horrific videos.
These crimes fall under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act. Investigations by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service revealed that consumers in the United States sent money to video producers in countries including Indonesia. They requested explicit acts of sadistic violence involving baby and adult monkeys, including severe mutilation, burning and sexual abuse, solely for the purpose of filming and distributing the footage.
The international network was first exposed in 2023 through an undercover investigation by the BBC. Since then, the U.S. Department of Justice has brought numerous criminal cases against those involved.
Last month, Robert Craig of North Carolina was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce and distribute so-called “animal crush videos.” According to court documents, Craig used encrypted messaging platforms to share and discuss videos containing extreme violence and the sexual abuse of monkeys. He admitted that many of these videos were created specifically in response to requests made by him and his co-conspirators.
Robert Craig is not the only offender to have been convicted. Amanda Leigh Fourez pleaded guilty to financing and collecting videos depicting the brutal torture of monkeys. Katrina Favret was sentenced to 40 months in prison after sending money to Indonesia and providing detailed instructions for the abuse. In May 2025, a federal grand jury also indicted eleven individuals from several U.S. states for their active involvement in online monkey torture groups. Michael Macartney, known online as the “Torture King” and administrator of notorious Telegram groups, was also sentenced to a lengthy prison term.
These convictions demonstrate that authorities are taking these crimes increasingly seriously. However, the suffering continues every single day. As long as people continue to watch, share and pay for these videos, more innocent monkeys will become victims.
Together, we can end this cruelty.
If you come across videos showing monkey abuse or exploitation, please report them immediately.
You can report cases involving abused primates through Monkey World. You can also report them to SMACC (Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition), the international organization dedicated to documenting animal cruelty on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and pressuring social media companies to remove these criminal networks.
To stop this cruelty worldwide, we need many more people to stand up and take action.
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