Four Plead Guilty in US Conspiracy to Make and Distribute Animal Crush Videos Involving Monkeys

Four more people have pleaded guilty in a federal conspiracy to create and distribute videos depicting extreme violence against monkeys, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 23. Ernest Chavez, of Arizona, pleaded guilty on Friday, joining Mary Longoria, of North Carolina, who pleaded guilty on July 16, Kimberly Anglin, of Connecticut, on August 12, and Patrick Naylor, of North Carolina, on August 14. The four were among 11 people indicted in 2025 over online groups dedicated to monkey torture videos, court documents say.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk24 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced on Friday, October 23, that four additional individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to create and distribute videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, Oct. 23, 2026

According to court documents, Ernest Chavez, of Arizona, pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring to create and distribute so-called 'animal crush' videos. Mary Longoria, of North Carolina, pleaded guilty on July 16 and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. Kimberly Anglin, of Connecticut, pleaded guilty on August 12 and is also scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. Patrick Naylor, of North Carolina, pleaded guilty on August 14 and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17. Two of the four defendants are North Carolina residents, local television station WCTI 12 in New Bern reported.

Source: WCTI 12 New Bern, via Spot On North Carolina, Oct. 23, 2026

Chavez, Longoria, Anglin and Naylor were among 11 individuals indicted in 2025 based on their involvement with various online groups dedicated to the creation and proliferation of monkey torture videos, the department said.

According to court documents, the defendants and their co-conspirators used Telegram, an online messaging application, to gather online and discuss topics for upcoming videos. The conspirators would then funnel money to individuals in Indonesia willing to carry out requested acts on camera, using various online payment applications. Nicholas Dryden, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was one of the sources of videos at the time and was previously sentenced to 108 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy, the Justice Department said.

The announcement was made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Energy and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio, FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director Doug Ault. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement and the FBI investigated the cases, and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman is prosecuting them, the department said.

Sources