Katrina Favret of Greeneville, Tennessee, has admitted to something almost too horrific to imagine: paying for and helping distribute videos of baby and adult monkeys being tortured on camera for entertainment.

According to federal prosecutors, Favret was part of an encrypted online network that commissioned so-called “animal crush videos”—extremely graphic and brutal recordings of live animals being abused. She and others made specific requests, sent payments to abusers overseas, and shared these videos with other members of the group.

This was not passive consumption. It was active, intentional cruelty.

Now that Favret has pleaded guilty to federal charges, she is awaiting sentencing. 

We, the undersigned, are calling on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio and the Department of Justice to pursue the maximum sentence allowed under federal law.

Nothing less than the strongest possible punishment will reflect the severity of her actions—and send a clear message that the torture of animals for profit and entertainment will never be tolerated.

This case is not just about one woman. It’s about protecting future animals from unimaginable abuse. It’s about showing that those who exploit vulnerable creatures for pleasure will face real consequences.

The U.S. has laws against animal crush videos for a reason. But laws mean nothing if they’re not enforced with full force when they’re violated this egregiously.

A light sentence would undermine the very principles of justice. It would also fail the countless animals who suffered and died because of this network.

We urge the court to impose the harshest possible sentence for Katrina Favret, and to treat this case as the serious, violent crime that it is.

Let this be the moment we say: animal torture will never be met with mercy.