A resident of New Jersey, Giancarlo Morelli, has been sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement as a facilitator in a disturbing ring that produced videos of monkeys being subjected to torture and abuse.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Morelli conspired to create and disseminate these disturbing fetish films to individuals looking to purchase them.
Together with co-conspirator Nicholas T. Dryden from Cincinnati, the pair was apprehended in June 2024 after being discovered communicating within private online forums that were focused on grotesque monkey abuse videos between March and April 2023, as reported by prosecutors.
In related developments, Philip Colt Moss, an attorney from Iowa, was arrested in August facing similar charges.
The video content varied significantly, with lengths ranging from just a few seconds to 42 minutes. A 2024 indictment revealed that Morelli processed 28 transactions, paying amounts between $40 and $379 to Dryden, who then sent the funds to a child in Indonesia to carry out the requested acts.
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The group reportedly coordinated the distribution of various forms of monkey torture, including instances of “animal crushing,” although Dryden was the only individual charged with the creation of the unsettling content.
Describing the extreme nature of these acts, federal prosecutors detailed that the torture that monkeys were subjected to included “burning their genitals, cutting them with scissors, and sodomy using objects such as wooden skewers and spoons,” following Moss’ arrest.
The term “animal crushing” traditionally refers to content where individuals, often women in high heels, stomp on animals, but encompasses a broader range of cruel behaviors.
The production and distribution of “animal crushing” content and other acts of cruelty have been outlawed under the Animal Crush Prohibition Act established in 2010, and the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act of 2019 escalated these violations to federal offenses.
Morelli was found to have financially supported the creation of these abominable videos at least 20 times, staying in regular contact with the creator, often providing feedback and suggestions.
Dryden allegedly expressed his approval as well, sending messages like: “So, this is the best video you’ve ever made. I don’t care. Go ahead and kill it. I’ll buy another one tomorrow,” as noted in the indictment.
Dominick Gerace II, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, stated, “If you pay others to torture animals or to share images of that horrific abuse, you can expect to be held accountable as if you committed the torture firsthand.”
Following his guilty plea in January, Morelli’s case led to the indictment of 11 other individuals on federal charges related to these acts.
