COLUMBUS, OH—A plea agreement was revealed today involving Ronald P. Bedra of Etna, Ohio, who admitted to conspiring to create and distribute disturbing videos that showed extreme violence and abuse against monkeys.
Bedra pleaded guilty to charges related to the production of “animal crush” videos.
His partner, Giancarlo Morelli, of New Jersey hatched a plan to harm monkeys, recording the act and distributing the videos online.
Court documents indicate that Bedra and his accomplices produced videos depicting sadistic acts against both baby and adult monkeys. These acts included severing limbs and digits, and the forced sodomy of the animals with a heated screwdriver. The group operated using encrypted chat applications to transfer funds to individuals in Indonesia who executed the torturous acts on camera.
Additionally, Bedra sent a thumb drive containing 64 videos of the cruel acts to a fellow conspirator located in Wisconsin. They were also charged with child abuse for having a child paid to commit the act.
According to court documents, in March and April 2023, the two co-defendants allegedly conspired to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby, adolescent and adult monkeys. The conspirators allegedly funneled money through Dryden, who then paid the minor in Indonesia to commit the requested acts on camera.
The case was announced by 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. It was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the FBI, with ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section attorneys Mark Romley and Adam Cullman, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz of the Southern District of Ohio, leading the prosecution.
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