ETNA, Ohio — Ronald P. Bedra, 51, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his involvement in online groups that created and distributed videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys. The sentencing comes after Bedra pleaded guilty in April to conspiring with others to produce and share videos of animal torture.
Court documents reveal that Bedra conspired with individuals who used encrypted chat applications to send payments to people in Indonesia, instructing them to carry out acts of cruelty on camera. The videos, which featured both baby and adult monkeys, showed disturbing scenes of torture, including severed limbs and sexual abuse using heated tools. Bedra was also found to have mailed a thumb drive containing 64 videos of monkey torture to a co-conspirator in Wisconsin.
Bedra’s actions have drawn sharp condemnation from federal officials. Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division stated that such “grotesque” conduct has no place in society, pledging that the Justice Department will pursue anyone involved in these heinous acts.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio emphasized that even those who don’t directly carry out the abuse but promote or fund it will be held accountable. The FBI, led by Special Agent Elena Iatarola of the Cincinnati Field Office, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also vowed to continue their efforts to protect defenseless animals and combat wildlife exploitation.