Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Make and Distribute Animal Crush Videos Involving Monkeys

A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty in federal court in Cincinnati today to conspiring to create and distribute "animal crush" videos through his active participation in certain online groups. The videos depicted extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

According to court documents, Hugh T. Campbell conspired with others to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against monkeys. Making and sharing such videos violates the federal anti-animal crush law.

Campbell and his co-conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to carry out requested acts of torture on camera. As stated in a court document, Campbell sent chats commenting on torture videos including "That video was awesome. Nice and gruesome," and "It's just so unsatisfying to see a live monkey at the end."

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gercace II for the Southern District of Ohio, and Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie for the FBI's Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the FBI investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of the Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.