Amanda Leigh Fourez, a resident of Catlin, Illinois, pleaded guilty on April 15 to charges of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos, as well as distributing those videos through online chat groups. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
Fourez, age 33, entered her plea before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand. The case highlights the federal government’s ongoing efforts to prosecute crimes involving the creation and distribution of violent content against animals.
According to court documents and statements made during the change of plea hearing, Fourez conspired with others to pool money for commissioning animal crush videos depicting monkeys being subjected to serious bodily harm. These acts included crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling or otherwise injuring living non-human mammals. Fourez admitted she sent at least eleven payments for such videos and distributed them on at least ten occasions via an instant messaging application. She also archived and controlled further distribution within online groups.
Another member involved in these activities was Joseph Garrett Buckland from Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Buckland pleaded guilty earlier in April to one count related to conspiracy for creating and distributing similar content.
Sentencing for Fourez is scheduled for August 27. She faces up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or both. The actual sentence will be determined according to federal Sentencing Guidelines based on the seriousness of the offenses and any prior criminal history.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher from the Western District of Pennsylvania along with Trial Attorney Emily Stone from the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans’ Cyber and Human Exploitation Investigations unit alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading up to this prosecution.
