An Ohio man admitted in federal court to creating and sharing videos showing monkeys being subjected to extreme torture and sexual abuse, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement released Monday.
Ronald P. Bedra of Etna, entered into a plea agreement in which he admitted being guilty of “conspiring to create and distribute so-called ‘animal crush’ videos,” the DOJ said.
Bedra and his co-conspirators paid certain individuals in Indonesia via encrypted platforms to commit and film acts of torture on baby and adult monkeys, which included chopping off their digits and limbs and sodomizing them with a heated screwdriver, court documents alleged, according to the DOJ.
“Bedra also mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin,” the press release states. (RELATED: Court Sentences Man Who Killed 76 Cats)
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Creating and Distributing Videos Depicting Monkey Torture and Mutilation
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— DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division (@DOJEnvironment) May 13, 2024
Using the on-screen name “DemonSwordSoulCrusher,” Bedra allegedly moderated an online platform called “Million Tears,” where individuals shared and discussed the torture and abuse videos, The Columbus Dispatch reported, citing court documents.
Bedra reportedly bought a video of a monkey being sexually abused with a heated screwdriver for $20 in October 2021 and sent 64 monkey torture videos to Wisconsin two months before, court documents say. Bedra’s other alleged related activities reportedly occurred between October 2021 and March 2022.
The DOJ’s press release did not announce a sentencing date.