Illinois Woman Sentenced to 31 Months in Prison for Distributing and Conspiring to Create and Distribute Sexual Torture and Mutilation Videos of Baby Monkeys
Friday, October 9, 2026 - Amanda Leigh Fourez, of Catlin, Illinois, was sentenced yesterday to 31 months in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with her involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute.
Fourez pleaded guilty in April to distributing animal crush videos and conspiring with others to create and distribute the videos.
According to court documents and statements made during the sentencing hearing, Fourez paid thousands of dollars to commission bespoke sexual torture videos of monkeys, and later she distributed the obscene crush videos online. She was a member of several chat groups and private payment groups dedicated to the creation, distribution, and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being tortured, including baby and adult monkeys being burned and their genitals mutilated.
During the sentencing hearing, the court denied Fourez’s motion for a downward variance. The court observed that the videos that Fourez created and distributed were “shocking and violent” and documented “agonizing torture” of animals. The court further noted that the sentence should deter others from this serious conduct.
Another member of these groups, Joseph Garrett Buckland, of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos in April and is set to be sentenced on Jan. 13, 2027 for his role in the conspiracy ring.
“We stand ready to prosecute this depraved conduct,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We appreciate the collaboration of HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in rooting out this conspiracy and prosecuting the case.”
“Amanda Fourez commissioned mutilation of helpless animals on video, and then disseminated those gruesome videos to an online community of people who were seeking content that portrayed the infliction of severe pain and suffering,” said U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners to investigating and prosecuting these serious federal crimes involving cruelty to animals.”
“The conduct in this case was unimaginably cruel and highlights the depraved nature of the online networks HSI is committed to dismantling,” said Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans. “HSI will continue to utilize advanced investigative techniques and vital law enforcement partnerships to track those who facilitate these heinous crimes across international borders.”
HSI New Orleans’ Cyber and Human Exploitation Investigations investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyssa Angotti and Kelly M. Locher for the Western District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.
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Source: Justice.gov
