LICKING COUNTY, Ohio — A Licking County man was sentenced Thursday for conspiring to create and distribute videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker.
The attorney's office said 42-year-old Ronald Bedra was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty in April to conspiring to create and distribute "animal crush" videos.
According to court documents, Bedra planned with others to create and distribute videos showing violence against baby and adult monkeys. The individuals used encrypted chat apps to send money to people in Indonesia who were willing to commit the torture acts on camera.
Bedra also mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin, Parker's office said. The videos included monkeys having their fingers and limbs cut and monkeys being forcibly sodomized with a heated screwdriver.
“We will punish participants of sadistic conspiracies like this one no matter their role in the crime,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker of the Southern District of Ohio. “As this case shows, even if you do not commit the torture firsthand, you will be held accountable for promoting this obscene animal abuse.”
