Man pleads guilty to producing videos depicting monkey torture

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A plea agreement was unsealed Monday in which an Ohio man pleaded guilty to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys, Justice Department officials said.

Ronald P. Bedra, of Ohio, pleaded guilty to conspiring to create and distribute so-called “animal crush” videos. According to court documents, Bedra conspired with others to create and distribute the videos which depicted acts of sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys, including having digits and limbs severed and being forcibly sodomized with a heated screwdriver.

According to Justice Department officials, the conspirators used encrypted chat apps to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Bedra also mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.