An Illinois woman pleaded guilty to federal charges after prosecutors said she paid thousands of dollars to commission and distribute videos showing monkeys being violently and sexually tortured in online chat groups.
Amanda Leigh Fourez, of Catlin, Illinois, entered the plea on charges of distributing animal crush videos and conspiring to create and distribute them, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said Fourez was part of an online conspiracy ring that used private chat groups and payment groups to produce and share the videos.
According to court documents cited by the Justice Department, Fourez paid to have bespoke sexual torture videos made and later distributed the material over the internet. The Justice Department said she also archived and controlled the distribution of the videos, according to People.
The videos depicted real monkeys, including baby and adult monkeys, being burned and having their genitals mutilated, prosecutors said. Federal authorities described the content as part of a network of sexual and violent animal abuse shared among online groups.
Fourez is the second person to plead guilty in the case, following Joseph Garrett Buckland of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Buckland previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos, according to the Justice Department, WandTV reported.
Fourez faces a maximum of five years in prison on the conspiracy count and up to seven years on the distribution count, along with a possible fine of up to $500,000. A judge will decide her sentence after reviewing the sentencing guidelines and other factors.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans' Cyber and Human Exploitation Investigations unit and the FBI, with prosecutors from the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania handling the case.
Court filings and federal statements say Fourez admitted to making payments for the videos and taking part in online groups that created and shared them, as per Justice.
