Charlotte man pleads guilty to conspiracy involving sexual abuse videos of monkeys

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WECT) - A Charlotte man was sentenced to two years and four months in federal prison for conspiring to create and distribute videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

Robert Craig pleaded guilty on June 25 to conspiring to create and distribute material that federal prosecutors referred to as “animal crush videos.”

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Craig used encrypted chat applications to share obscene videos of monkeys being tortured and sexually abused. The videos included depictions of extreme violence that had been specifically requested by Craig and his co-conspirators, officials said.

Craig will serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the FBI investigated the case.