Hugh T. Campbell of Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court in Cincinnati to conspiring to create and distribute so-called "animal crush" videos, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Campbell participated in online groups dedicated to creating and sharing videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse involving monkeys, investigators said.
According to court documents, Campbell and his co-conspirators used encrypted chat applications to send money to individuals in Indonesia willing to carry out requested acts of torture on camera.
Campbell commented on videos shared within the groups, writing, "That video was awesome. Nice and gruesome," and, "It's just so unsatisfying to see a live monkey at the end," according to court filings.
The case is the latest in a series of prosecutions targeting members of online monkey torture networks.
In December, Robert Berndt, of Philadelphia, previously of New Jersey, was sentenced to 38 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to create and distribute animal crush videos depicting sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys, according to the Justice Department.
Earlier this year, Joseph Garrett Buckland, of Mount Pleasant, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges after investigators said he collected money to help create and distribute videos showing monkeys being tortured, including videos depicting broken limbs and genital mutilation, federal authorities said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the FBI investigated Campbell's case.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio, and FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie announced the guilty plea.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of the Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.
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