PHILADELPHIA (WOLF) — A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for helping produce and distribute graphic videos that documented the torture and sexual abuse of animals, authorities announced Tuesday.
Robert Berndt received a 38-month prison term, followed by three years of supervised release, after admitting earlier this year to taking part in an online network involved in creating so-called “animal crush” videos. He pleaded guilty on May 6 to a conspiracy charge tied to the production and circulation of the material.
Federal investigators said Berndt and others coordinated through encrypted messaging platforms, pooling money and directing payments to people in Indonesia who carried out acts of brutality against infant and adult monkeys while recording the abuse.
The sentencing was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II of the Southern District of Ohio.
The FBI and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service led the investigation. The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.