Ohio Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Creating and Distributing Videos Depicting Monkey Torture and Mutilation

An Ohio man was sentenced to prison today in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.

Nicholas T. Dryden, of Cincinnati, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and three years of supervised release for creating so-called "animal crush videos," and for conspiring to create and distribute animal crush videos.

According to court documents, in 2023 Dryden paid a minor residing in Indonesia to create videos of monkeys being tortured and abused. Dryden sold the resulting videos through various online groups which he administered to numerous other individuals.

According to statements of facts signed by Dryden, the videos in question included depictions of baby and adolescent monkeys being tortured in a multitude of ways, including having their genitals burned and cut off.

"The conduct perpetrated by these defendants was reprehensible," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). "Congress has said clearly that this conduct has no place in our society, and the Department of Justice stands ready to prosecute those who engaged in these heinous practices to the fullest extent of the law."

"Dryden, who resided in Cincinnati, paid a minor on the other side of the world to film the torture and abuse of monkeys and then sold those videos to others," said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio. "This sadistic and obscene conduct is unacceptable in any civilized society and Dryden will rightfully spend time in prison for his actions."

"This was an extraordinarily disturbing and heinous case of animal cruelty," said Assistant Director Doug Ault of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement. "Orchestrating the deliberate torture and murder of baby primates is unconscionable. Our agents worked tirelessly to support the pursuit of justice. Today's sentencing reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable and sends a clear warning to anyone who would commit such acts: we will find you, and you will be held accountable."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam C. Cullman of ENRD's Environmental Crimes Section is prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Oakley for the Southern District of Ohio also helped prosecute the case.