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A woman from Illinois is pleading guilty after paying thousands of dollars to have others make so-called “animal crush videos,” which included depictions of adult and baby monkeys being mutilated and tortured for users in a deranged online chat group.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sent out a press release Monday indicating Amanda Leigh Fourez, a U.S. citizen from Illinois, pleaded guilty earlier this month to distributing and conspiracy to create and distribute these sorts of videos.
The videos Fourez paid for included footage that showed the monkeys being burned alive, having their genitals mutilated and other atrocities, according to the press release.
“Fourez paid thousands of dollars to commission bespoke sexual torture videos of monkeys and later she distributed the obscene crush videos over the Internet. Fourez archived and controlled the distribution of animal crush videos,” the Department of Justice added in its press release.
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Fourez was a member of several online chat groups and private payment groups dedicated to making, distributing and discussing “animal crush videos” and others of the same violent nature, according to ICE.
Another member of these groups, Joseph Garrett Buckland, of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, also pleaded guilty a few weeks ago to one count of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos. Buckland was charged Feb. 26 with violating a federal animal crushing statute, according to the Department of Justice.
A bill was passed in Congress in 2010 banning videos depicting acts of animal cruelty to satisfy a sexual fetish, and the law was updated in 2019 to ban the act itself.
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ICE Homeland Security Investigations’ New Orleans Cyber and Human Exploitation Investigations and the FBI investigated the case against Fourez. ICE enforces over 400 federal laws and statutes, including cybercrimes.
Fourez faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a maximum penalty of seven years in prison for the distribution charge and a fine of up to $500,000. A judge will determine the sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors, according to the Department of Justice. Fox News Digital inquired with ICE for an update on Fourez’s sentencing but did not get a response.
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“Fourez admitted to her role in making these horrific videos and posting them online,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “What kind of sick person would pay someone to make a video of sexualized animal torture? ICE will continue investigating these sadistic online groups and do everything in our power to stop them.”
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