WI Man Gets Prison For Monkey Torture Video

MADISON, WI — A 40-year-old Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin man was sentenced in U.S. Court Wednesday to a year and a day in prison for ordering a monkey to be tortured on video.

Kenneth Herrera was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and serve three years of supervised release following the prison sentence.

Herrera pleaded guilty to "knowingly causing the creation, sale, and distribution of an obscene animal crush video, in violation of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act" on Sept. 15.

Animal crushing "includes burning, suffocating, impaling, or causing the serious bodily injury of animals," authorities said.

As part of "Operation Dry Eyes," agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation learned about Herrera ordering videos depicting animal crushing from an international videographer, investigators said.

Agents uncovered evidence that in December 2021, Herrera sent money to a videographer in Indonesia in exchange for a video of a monkey being physically abused, according to authorities.

Herrera sent detailed instructions to the videographer asking that the monkey be physically abused in specific violent ways, and videographer complied with these requests and sent the video to Herrera via an encrypted messaging application, investigators said.

In sentencing Herrera, Judge William M. Conley remarked on the "abhorrent nature of the video and pointed out that Herrera did not just view the video but played a role in its production."

U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea wrote that "animal torture can be a precursor to other violent crimes."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle added "We view the sentence handed down in this case under the Animal Crushing Statue not only as a measure of justice served, but also as a deterrent against future violations."